A Different Kind of World
by TwilightTeen212
Summary: What if Bella and Edward's story hadn't taken place in Forks circa the modern day? What if it had taken place in Forks during the 1860s? Would they still fall in love? Would Rosalie and Emmett? Alice and Jasper? ALL HUMAN.
1. Preparations

"**ʻYou see, Bella, I was always **_**that boy**_**. In my world, I was already a man. I wasn't looking for love… but if I had found… If I had found **_**you**_**, there isn't a doubt in my mind how I would have proceeded. I was **_**that boy,**_** who would have – as soon as I discovered that you were what I was looking for – gotten down on one knee and endeavored to secure your hand.'"**

**- Edward, **_**Eclipse, **_**page 277**

"**And for one second, I could. I saw myself in a long skirt and a high-necked blouse with my hair piled up on my head. I saw Edward looking dashing in a light suit with a bouquet of wildflowers in his hand, sitting beside me on a porch swing."**

**- Bella, **_**Eclipse, **_**page 277**

"**Then, for just a second, I saw that same odd vision of Edward and me on a porch swing, wearing clothes from another kind of world. A world where it would surprise no one if I wore his ring on my finger. A simpler place, where love was defined in simpler ways. One plus one equals two…"**

**- Bella, **_**Eclipse, **_**page 325**

Chapter 1: Preparations (Bella's POV)

"Marie, how much longer will it take for you to finish doing my hair?" I asked, meeting my maid's eyes in my mirror.

"I'm so sorry, Miss Swan. I'm almost finished," Marie said, a slight hint of panic in her voice, as she rolled another lock of my hair up and pinned it in place.

"Take your time, Marie," I consoled my frantic maid. "Esme said she had some people she wanted to introduce to Alice, Rosalie, and I. It's important that I look my best in order to make a good impression."

"I agree, Miss Swan," Marie said. "Undoubtedly, Mrs. Cullen has a few gentlemen she wants you ladies to meet. She is always trying to arrange potential suitors for my lady and her friends. Begging your pardon, Miss," she said as my eyebrows rose ever-so slightly in shock. "It was not my place to say anything." Raising my hand enough to signal Marie that her comments had not been deemed to bold, I turned my eyes back to the mirror in front of me and watched as Marie continued rolling and pinning my hair. Silence filled my room.

After a few minutes, Marie's soft voice filled the room. "I'm on the last lock of your hair, Miss," she said over a soft knock on the door.

"Thank you, Marie," I said. Pitching my voice louder, I called, "Come in!" to the person who had knocked on my door. The door opened to reveal the butler, Jonathan. "Yes, Jonathan? I addressed him.

"Miss Swan, Miss Brandon and Miss Hale have arrived and are waiting in the entrance hall," Jonathan announced.

"Thank you Jonathan," I said as I felt Marie pin the final lock of my hair in place. "Please tell them that I will be joining them shortly."

"Yes Miss Swan." Jonathan disappeared. I turned my attention back to Marie.

"Marie, fetch me my hat please," I addressed my maid.

"Yes, Miss Swan." Marie hastened to my closet to fetch my hat as I rose from my seat to examine my appearance in the mirror. My long brown hair had been carefully rolled and pinned to perfection and my warm brown eyes sparkled against my navy blue dress. Marie returned just then with my hat. She proceeded to set my hat on my head and insure that it would not fall off. Finally, I left my room and went to join my friends.

I found them waiting in the entrance hall, just as Jonathan had said. Alice Brandon, Rosalie Hale, and I had been introduced in our youth and immediately became friends. We considered each other our sisters, even though we were very different. Alice, with her long black hair and petite frame, was the most energetic of our trio. Rosalie, with her long blond hair and eyes like violets, was the most calm and well-mannered. I was the easily embarrassed and clumsy one. Regardless, we were very close to each other.

As I made my way down the stairs, I was able to get a better look at Alice and Rosalie. Both of them had styled their hair in the same fashion as mine and all three of us wore the same long, full-skirted dress, only mine was navy blue, Alice's was silver, and Rosalie's was a very pale green. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, I drifted towards my friends. "Miss Brandon, Miss Hale," I greeted them.

"Bella!" Alice squealed. We leaned towards each other and swapped air kisses beside each others cheeks.

"Bella," Rosalie echoed warmly once Alice and I had finished. We repeated the air kisses, then she took a step back and appraised my outfit. "You look beautiful, Bella," Rosalie said.

"As do you both," I answered.

"Ladies, we'll have plenty of time for chatter at the Cullen's party," Alice said. Smiling, Rosalie and I followed Alice outside, into the waiting carriage, and set off for the party.


	2. Introductions

**DISCLAIMER: The characters in this story belong to Stephenie Meyer, excluding Marie and Jonathan.**

Chapter 2: Introductions (Bella's POV)

Our carriage pulled up outside of the home of Carlisle and Esme Cullen. The Cullens were prominent society hosts and long standing friends of all of our families. Esme was always introducing us to young gentlemen she thought would make fine husbands for us three. So far, none of these suitors had made an impression.

Alice, Rosalie, and I alighted from our carriage and proceeded inside to the ballroom. When we reached the ballroom, Alice pointed across the room.

"Look," Alice said. "There's Carlisle and Esme. We should go say hello." Nodding, Alice, Rosalie, and I made our way across the ballroom to greet our hosts.

Esme spotted us first. "Alice, Rosalie, Isabella!" she called to us. **(Author's Note: Bella only goes by Bella in private. In society, she's Isabella.) **As we reached her side, she embraced each of us in turn, before stepping back and appraising our appearances. "You all look lovely, girls," she said after a few moments.

"As do you, Esme," I said as Alice and Rosalie nodded in agreement. Her caramel-colored hair was done up in a style that complimented her heart-shaped face. Her lilac dress drew even more emphasis to her beauty.

"Thank you, girls." Esme smiled as a handsome blond man in a gray suit came to stand by Esme's side.

"Alice, Rosalie, Isabella," Carlisle greeted us.

"Carlisle," Rosalie responded, embracing him.

"Thank you for inviting us, Carlisle," Alice said as she too embraced Carlisle. "You too, Esme."

"This is a wonderful party, Carlisle." I stepped forward and embraced the man whom I looked at as a second father. He and Esme were always seeing to it that Alice, Rosalie, and I were well cared for, outfitted in nice clothes, and had plenty of suitors to choose from. "You and Esme have out done yourselves."

"Thank you, my dears," Carlisle said, looking the tiniest bit flustered. He glanced around the crowded ballroom before turning his attention back to us. "Now ladies, I assume Esme has already informed you that we have some friends we would like you to meet, yes?" We nodded. "Excellent. Unfortunately, our friends are not here yet."

"No matter, we will wait with you until they arrive," said Rosalie. Alice and I nodded in agreement.

"Absolutely not," Esme said. Carlisle nodded.

"Esme's right," he said. "Go enjoy the party. Either Esme or I will come find you when our friends arrive." Seeing that there was no point in discussing the matter further, Alice, Rosalie, and I turned and began making our way through the crowd.

"Look," Alice said. "There's Jessica, Lauren, and Angela. Let's go talk to them." Drifting through the crowd, we reached our friends, exchanged hellos, and began to talk. We were so engaged in our conversation that we didn't notice the trio of young men who stood nearby until Angela, Jessica, and Lauren excused themselves and the young men seized the opportunity to talk to Alice, Rosalie, and I.

"Excuse us, ladies," said one of the three men. "Allow me to introduce myself and my companions. My name is Mike Newton. This," he gestured to the man on his right, "is Tyler Crowley, and this," he gestured to the man on his other side, "is Eric Yorkie."

"We're pleased to meet you," Rosalie said coolly. They might have thought she was being sincere, but I knew better. The tone of voice Rosalie was using was the one she reserved for unpleasant situations where it was crucial to seem polite. Apparently, Rosalie thought this one qualified. On my other side, Alice was scanning the crowd inconspicuously, trying to find a way for us to escape.

"Would you ladies like to dance?" Mike asked. He, Eric, and Tyler each held out their hand. Rosalie, Alice, and I subtly exchanged worried looks. Fortunately, the appearance of Esme saved us from having to answer.

"There you are girls!" Esme said. "The friends Carlisle and I wanted to introduce you to have arrived. Come, come, we must not keep them waiting. Oh, excuse me, Mr. Newton, Mr. Crowley, Mr. Yorkie. I hope I'm not interrupting," said Esme as she noticed that Mike, Eric, and Tyler were standing next to us.

Rosalie turned to Mike, Eric, and Tyler. "I'm afraid we're going to have to decline your offer to dance, gentlemen," she said. Without another word, we turned and followed Esme through the crowd. Esme led us towards Carlisle, who was conversing with a trio of gentlemen. When Carlisle spotted Esme, Alice, Rosalie, and I, he smiled.

"Oh, good, Esme, you found them," Carlisle said. "Mr. Masen, Mr. Whitlock, Mr. McCarty, allow me to introduce to you Miss Swan, Miss Brandon, and Miss Hale."

The three gentlemen turned to face us and collectively, Alice, Rosalie, and I gasped.

**Bit of a cliff hanger here, as if you couldn't figure out who the three guys are. Hope you're enjoying the story so far. The next chapter will be up just as soon as I get five reviews. So if you want chapter 3, I suggest you review. I'd really appreciate the feedback.**

**xoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212**


	3. Dancing Through Life

**Hello, my darling fans. I've decided to be nice to you all, and post the third chapter, even though I haven't been getting a lot of reviews. But I've decided it's okay. I just want to insure that my fans are happy. So enjoy!**

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: They're not my characters. Only Marie and Jonathan are mine.**

Chapter 3 – Dancing Through Life(Bella's POV)

The three gentlemen turned to face us and collectively, Alice, Rosalie, and I gasped. Standing before us were three utterly handsome men. The one facing me was by far the largest of the three. He was very burly and muscular and tall with dark, slightly curly hair. The gentleman next to him was a few inches shorter, with honey blond hair and a muscular but lean figure. But it was the third gentleman that took my breath away. He was an inch shorter than the blond, with bronze hair in a state of casual disarray. Like his friends, he was muscular, but at the same time, he was slender. He was gorgeous.

After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, I spoke. "It's wonderful to meet you three," I said politely.

The man with the dark, curly hair smiled. "It's nice to meet you too, Miss…"

"Swan," I answered. "Isabella Swan. And you are…?"

"Emmett McCarty." He extended his hand and I shook it.

Rosalie was next. She turned to the man opposite her, the blond, and extended her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. …?" Rosalie trailed off, waiting for him to say his name.

"Whitlock," the blond answered. "Jasper Whitlock."

"A pleasure, Mr. Whitlock."

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss…."

"Hale. Rosalie Hale."

Alice turned to the bronze haired gentleman. "Hello, I'm Alice Brandon. You must be Mr. Masen, yes?" She extended her hand to shake his.

Mr. Masen reached out and shook Alice's hand. "Yes, I am Mr. Edward Masen, at your service, Miss Brandon." Alice giggled. Silence fell over our small grouping. After a minute or two of silence, Jasper spoke up.

"Would any of you ladies care to dance?" he asked. Rosalie, Alice, and I exchanged glances before nodding. The three men smiled. Before any of us could move towards the dance floor, Alice spoke up.

"Just a warning to whoever is dancing with Isabella," Alice said, calling me by my full name as we did in society. "She is a bit clumsy and might trip." The boys laughed. I glared at Alice and she smiled back.

Each of us paired off with the man directly in front of us: Rosalie with Jasper, Alice with Edward, me with Emmett. The six of us made our way to the dance floor as the music began; the dance was a slow sarabande. **(A/N: I have no idea what a sarabande is, I found it in **_**Ella Enchanted**_**, figured out that it was a type of dance, and stuck it in my story.) **Emmett and I assumed the position and began to dance, only to have me trip over my own feet. Emmett laughed lightly, but made no other comment. We continued dancing. As we spun again, I got a glimpse of Edward, dancing with Alice. Oh, he's just so handsome and gorgeous and …

I stumbled again. Emmett laughed. "I see Miss Brandon was telling the truth when she said you were somewhat clumsy, Miss Swan," he said.

"That's me," I answered. "Isabella Swan, the clumsy one." Emmett laughed again. He proceeded to spend the rest of our dance teasing me about me clumsiness. Surprisingly, it didn't bother me. We continued to dance, talking all the while. Then Emmett spun me one last time and the dance ended.

"Thank you for that dance, Miss Swan," he said, lifting my left hand to his mouth and kissing my fingertips.

"You're welcome, Mr. McCarty," I answered. Emmett let go of my hand, and disappeared into the crowd.

"Excuse me, Miss Swan," said a man's voice with a faint Southern accent. I turned to find Jasper standing next to me. "Would you care to dance?"

"Yes, Mr. Whitlock, I would be delighted," I answered. Taking his hand, Jasper and I proceeded to the dance floor as the band struck up a lively foxtrot. We assumed the position and began to dance.

A little ways into the dance, I asked Jasper about his accent. "I noticed you have a slight Southern accent, Mr. Whitlock."

"That I do, Miss Swan," Jasper replied. "You see, I'm originally from Texas, but my family left about a month ago." He didn't seem eager to say more, so I let the topic drop. We continued to dance in silence. After a few more minutes, the dance came to an end.

Jasper raised my hand to his mouth and kissed my fingertips. "Thank you, Miss Swan," he said.

"You're welcome, Mr. Whitlock," I answered. Jasper smiled, then disappeared into the crowd. Almost instantaneously, Mike appeared in front of me.

"Would you like to dance, Miss Swan?" asked Mike. I groaned internally, and looked around to see if Alice or Rosalie was able to come to my rescue. I saw with dismay that they were in no better position than I was. Tyler was holding out his hand to Rosalie, and Eric had Alice cornered; he too extended his hand to her in an offer to dance. As I watched, Jasper appeared by Eric's side; he said something to Eric, who dropped his hand. Alice drifted over to Jasper's side, and the two floated onto the dance floor. I turned to watch Rosalie and saw the same thing. Emmett had appeared by Tyler's side; whatever he had said to him was enough to get him to back away from Rosalie, who Emmett was now leading onto the dance floor. Wonderful. Leave it to my friends to get rescued while I was going to get stuck dancing with Mike. This was just….

"Miss Swan?" a velvety male voice called my name from not far away. I turned to find Edward standing beside Mike, his hand held out towards me. "I believe you promised me the next dance," Edward said. His green eyes locked on to my chocolate brown ones and it appeared as if he was trying to silently convey the message to me to trust him. So I did.

I took his hand. "I do believe I did, Mr. Masen," I said to Edward with a smile. "Excuse me, Mr. Newton." Edward and I drifted to the dance floor and began to dance a Viennese waltz. After a few seconds of silence, I spoke. "Thank you for rescuing me from Mr. Newton, Mr. Masen," I said.

"You're welcome, Miss Swan," Edward said, his green eyes locking onto my brown ones. "A man of his type does not deserve to been seen dancing with a lady such as yourself." He smiled a gorgeous, crooked smile, and I felt faint. "Now, a gentleman like me, on the other hand, does."

"Oh?" I questioned. "And what makes you so much better than Mr. Newton?"

"Would you rather be dancing with him right now?" Edward smiled the same smile.

"No," I said firmly.

"Well, there's your answer." Edward chuckled, then fell silent, as did I. We continued to dance in silence. After a minute, I looked up to see Edward watching me, his green eyes smoldering. I blushed, then stumbled over my own feet. Luckily, Edward's tight grip around my waist kept me from falling. Edward chuckled, and I blushed again. The dance ended. Edward lifted my hand to his lips and kissed my fingertips. As his lips made contact, I gasped. What felt like a tiny electric shock had ran up my arm. I looked at him to see his eyes widen for a second, before he recomposed himself. I could tell that he had felt it too.

"Thank you for a wonderful dance, Miss Swan," Edward said, still holding my hand in his.

"You're quite welcome, Mr. Masen," I replied.

"Is there a chance that I might see you again?" he asked softly.

"I'm sure my parents would not object," I answered, my voice just as soft.

He kissed my fingertips again. "Then I hope to see you soon, Miss Swan," he said, still speaking softly. He released my hand and disappeared. I felt dizzy. How was it that this man that I had just met was having such an affect on me? I shook my head and went to go find Alice and Rosalie.

_**Rosalie's POV**_

Jasper extended his hand to me, and I took it. We swept out onto the dance floor and began to dance a slow sarabande. I looked at Jasper's face as we danced. It seemed so familiar, yet I was having trouble placing it. Suddenly, I remembered where I knew Jasper from.

"So, how long have you been living in Forks, Mr. Whitlock?" I asked, trying to keep myself composed.

"Not very long, Miss Hale," Jasper answered politely. We continued to dance in silence until I could no longer keep up the charade.

"What's wrong, Jasper?" I asked sweetly. "You don't recognize me?"

Jasper stared at my face for a few seconds, before comprehension dawned on his face. He smiled broadly. "Cousin Rosalie?" he said, shocked.

"And here I thought you were never going to figure out who I was," I teased my favorite cousin.

"Well, it's been so long since I last saw you, and you've grown so much," Jasper said.

"You've changed too. It took me a little while to recognize you." I laughed, and so did Jasper. "So what brings you and your family to Forks?"

Jasper hesitated. "The Civil War," he answered finally. Instantly, though he had spoken but three words, I understood. I wanted to say more, but the look on Jasper's face silenced me. I changed the subject.

"How long have you been in Forks for?" I asked, trying to keep my tone light and friendly.

"A month," Jasper replied, looking relieved that I had changed the subject.

"And you never came to say hello or tell us that you were here? I'm hurt."

"We've been trying to start over. Erase the old image of the Whitlock family. That's why I've become so close to Edward and Emmett. Their families have really helped us begin anew. So have the Cullens." Jasper had a pained expression on his face. I could tell that this was hard for him.

"I'm sorry," I said softly.

Jasper smiled. "Thank you, Rose," he said, using his childhood nickname for me.

I smiled too. "You're welcome, Jazz," I said, following suit. The dance ended and Jasper brought my hand to his mouth and kissed my fingertips.

"Thank you for a lovely dance, Miss Hale," he said.

"You're welcome, Mr. Whitlock." It felt strange to address my cousin so formally.

Jasper leaned closer and whispered in my ear. "Please don't tell anybody, particularly your friends, about what we discussed," he said.

"I swear not tell," I whispered back. Jasper smiled, straightened up, and left. A minute later, Edward appeared by my side.

"Miss Hale, would you care to dance?" he asked politely.

"I would, Mr. Masen," I answered, every bit as polite. We swept out onto the dance floor and were immediately engaged in a foxtrot. After my lengthy conversation with Jasper, the silence between Edward and I was odd. I made one or two attempts to engage him in conversation, but to no avail. Eventually, I decided just to dance and made no more attempts at conversation. Finally, the dance ended.

"Thank you, Miss Hale," Edward said as he kissed my fingertips.

"You're welcome, Mr. Masen," I replied. Edward let go of my hand and disappeared into the crowd. As soon as Edward left, Tyler appeared in front of me and held out his hand.

"Would you care to dance, Miss Hale?" Tyler asked. I felt my lips purse of their own accord as I scanned the room for someone who could save me. No such luck. Mike had his hand out to Bella and Eric had Alice cornered. As I watched, Jasper appeared by Alice's side and saved her from Eric. A second familiar face caught my eye, and I watched as Edward made his way towards Mike, no doubt to rescue Bella. I sighed.

"Miss Hale?" a deep voice said from behind me. I turned to find Tyler glaring at Emmett, who stood a few feet away. "I believe you promised you would dance with me."

"You're going to have to wait, Sir," Tyler said. "I asked her for this dance first."

"Actually, Mr. Crowley, since I promised Mr. McCarty I would dance with him before you asked me, that makes this dance his," I said. "If you'll excuse me…"

"Thank you Miss Hale," Emmett said to me. He turned to Tyler and his voice turned menacing. "And by the way, I would appreciate it if you would refrain from asking my fiancée to dance, Mr. Crowley." The color drained from Tyler's face and Emmett smiled.

Emmett offered his arm and I took it. Without another word, we walked onto the dance floor. As we walked, I spotted Edward rescuing Bella from Mike and leading her on the dance floor. Then the Viennese waltz began and I returned my focus to my partner and the dance.

"So I'm your fiancée, am I, Mr. McCarty?" I asked.

Emmett smiled. "I just said that to keep him from bothering you again," he admitted sheepishly.

"You could not think of any other way to keep him from bothering me?"

"Do you want him to leave you alone or not?" I sighed. He had beaten me, and he knew it. Emmett chuckled and pulled me closer to him as we danced. It was strange, but somehow I felt… safe in Emmett's arms. Suddenly, an alarming thought crossed my mind, and I gasped.

"What's wrong?" Emmett asked.

"What if Mr. Crowley tells everyone we're engaged?" I asked, worried.

"It will be obvious that he's lying," Emmett chuckled. "After all, you're not wearing a ring." I hadn't thought of that. We danced for another minute, and then the song ended. Slowly, Emmett brought my hand to his lips and kissed my fingertips. "Thank you for a wonderful dance, Miss Hale," Emmett said.

"It was my pleasure, Mr. McCarty," I replied. "You are a much better companion that Mr. Masen."

Emmett laughed. "What about Jasper?" he asked, still chuckling. "Am I a better companion than him as well?"

"Mr. Whitlock is a special circumstance," I answered. He still looked confused. I sighed. "Jasper is my cousin," I explained. "He is a wonderful companion, and I love to spend time with him, but he's family."

Emmett nodded. "Well, thank you again, Miss Hale. I hope to see you again," he said, and he departed. I watched him retreat through the crowd. I'd just met Emmett, and yet he had a hold on me. Smiling, I began to make my way through the crowd to find Bella and Alice.

_**Alice's POV**_

Edward and I made our way onto the dance floor and began to dance a slow sarabande. We kept in time to the music as we danced, but I could sense that he was a little distracted.

"Is everything all right, Mr. Masen?" I asked, concerned. "You seem a little distracted."

"Everything is quite alright, Miss Brandon," Edward replied. I sensed that he did not want to discuss matters further, so I did not push him. After a few more minutes, the dance came to an end. Edward brought my hand to his lips and kissed my fingertips. "Thank you, Miss Brandon," he said.

"You're welcome, Mr. Masen," I replied. Edward disappeared as Emmett approached me.

"Would you like to dance, Miss Brandon?" Emmett asked me.

"I would like to dance, Mr. McCarty," I answered. Emmett smiled and offered me his hand. I took it and we swept out onto the dance floor as a foxtrot began.

Dancing with Emmett was hard. Since he was so big and I was so petite, it made thing complicated. I'm normally graceful, but tonight I seemed to be channeling Bella. I tripped at least half a dozen times before we were even half way through the dance. Finally, I mentioned this to Emmett.

"I don't mean to be rude, Mr. McCarty, but I don't think us dancing together is working," I said.

Emmett laughed. "I think you're right, Miss Brandon." He let go of my waist, brought my hand to his lips, and kissed my fingertips. "Thank you for trying to dance with me, though," he said.

"You're welcome." I smiled. Emmett released my hand and disappeared into the crowd. I situated myself in a corner so I could watch the dancing without being disturbed. As the dance ended, I saw a man making his way towards me. When he got close enough that I could clearly see who it was, I groaned. It was one of Mike's friends, Eric. Like the genius I was, I was standing in the corner, meaning that once he reached me, I was trapped. I groaned again.

"Would you care to dance, Miss Brandon?" Eric asked, holding out his hand. I scanned the room as inconspicuously as I could, hoping to spot one of my friends coming to my rescue. Unfortunately, Lady Luck seemed to be against all three of us. Mike was standing barely three feet from Bella and Tyler was holding his hand out to Rosalie. I watched as Emmett made his way towards Rosalie and Edward towards Bella. I turned my attention back to Eric, only to catch sight of another man a few feet behind him, watching me. It was Jasper. Our eyes met. I widened mine in a silent plea, hoping he'd come help me. Without hesitating, Jasper made his way towards me and Eric.

"Excuse me, sir." Jasper said, a southern accent faintly pronounced. "Is there a reason why you are antagonizing this young lady here?"

"On the contrary, sir," Eric said. "I was simply asking her to dance. I am not antagonizing her in any way."

"Really?" Jasper said. "She looks antagonized to me."

"I beg your pardon, sir, but this is none of your business."

"Sir," Jasper said, his voice lower and his accent more pronounced, "I would advice you to leave this young lady alone before I report you to the authorities for harassment." Eric dropped his hand and backed away slightly. Jasper gave him one last, long glare before turning to me. "My apologies, Miss Brandon."

"It's not your fault, Mr. Whitlock," I replied. "I don't hold you accountable."

"At least let me have one dance to make it up to you." Jasper held out his hand.

"I'd be happy to comply." I floated to his side and, hand in hand, we made our way to the dance floor as the Viennese waltz began. We began to dance. "Mr. Whitlock, if you don't mind my asking, why did you come save me from Mr. Yorkie?"

"The way he was acting was no way to treat a lady such as yourself," Jasper answered, his voice hard.

I could tell Jasper didn't want to talk about this, so I changed the subject. "I noticed you have a slight southern accent, Mr. Whitlock," I said. "Where exactly in the South are you from?"

"I'm from Texas, Miss Brandon," he replied.

"Why did your family leave?"

"Complications." Jasper looked upset, like there was more to the story than he wanted to share.

"I understand if you don't want to tell me," I said softly. "I can empathize. It's the same thing for me." Jasper looked at me questioningly. I lowered my head. "I'm not originally from Forks either. I was born in Biloxi, Mississippi. My family moved to Forks when I was only three years old to…" my voice broke. "To escape the rising tensions between the North and the South. My father was deadly afraid that war would break out and one or both of my brothers would be drafted to fight for the South. It would have killed him. My grandfather was a veteran of the War of 1812. He was never the same after that war. It haunted him until his dying day. My great-grandfather died during the Revolutionary War. My father was afraid that my brothers would suffer one of these two fates. So we left." A tear slipped down my cheek. I felt Jasper let go of my waist and reach up to wipe the tear away. I looked up at him to find him looking down at me, an odd look on his face.

"I never thought I'd meet someone who could understand," he murmured finally. In a louder voice, he began to explain. "My story is similar to yours, Miss Brandon. I was born in Houston, Texas. A month ago, my family relocated from Houston to here. My father was afraid that I would be drafted to the Confederate army and suffer a fate like that of my grandfather or my great-grandfather. My grandfather is still haunted with memories of the War of 1812 to this day. My great-grandfather never survived to see my grandfather get married. My father didn't want any of this to happen to me. We came here in the hopes of starting anew, away from the conflict. We wanted to put this behind us. Edward's family, Emmett's family, and the Cullens have helped us immensely with putting this behind us. I owe them a debt of gratitude. I owe you a debt of gratitude. You've helped me too, Miss Brandon. I've finally found someone who I know will understand. Thank you." Jasper smiled at me and I smiled back. We danced for about another minute before the dance ended.

Jasper and I moved apart, but he kept a firm grip on my hand. We stood, staring into each other eyes for a few seconds before Jasper lifted my hand to his lips and kissed my fingertips. "Thank you Miss Brandon," he said simply, and I knew he was thanking me for much more than just the dance.

"You're welcome, Mr. Whitlock," I said quietly.

"Is there a chance that I may see you again?" he asked.

"I'm sure that can be arranged," I answered. "I think both of our families would benefit greatly from meeting the others." Jasper smiled before dropping my hand and making his way through the crowd. I remained where I stood, hypnotized. There was just something about Jasper that made him different from every other man I had ever met. I had never felt such a close bond to someone upon meeting them for the first time. I came out of my trance and set off to find Rosalie and Bella.

**Kinda long, I know, but I really wanted you guys to see it from each girl's perspective while not wasting three chapters on what was probably an hour all together. As per my new policy (see note at beginning), reviews are not needed, but welcomed. Constructive critism is welcome too, key word being constructive. Chapter four will be up as soon as I finish it. **

**xoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212**


	4. I Can't Help Falling In Love With You

**Here it is, darlings... Chapter 4!**

Chapter 4 – I Can't Help Falling In Love With You (Bella's POV)

I found Alice and Rosalie in the dead center of the room. Both had a sort of frantic, dazed look about them. I guessed that I looked the same way. Wordlessly, we grabbed each other's hands and headed for somewhere quiet to talk. We walked outside, into the gardens. We aimlessly wandered through them until we found a bench in a small, sheltered area, surrounded by bushes. We sat down. No one spoke. Finally, I broke the silence.

"Amazing," I said. "A pair of guys actually managed to get you both to be quiet. Impressive." That broke Alice and Rosalie out of their trance. They glared at me, and I smiled back. Finally, Alice sighed.

"I can't help myself," she said, smiling. "I've never felt this way before. There's just something about Jasper that makes me feel all…. giddy. I can't explain it. There's a level of trust between us that I've never seen before. It's so powerful."

"It's the same way when I think about Emmett," Rosalie sighed. "I know I just met him, but when we danced, I felt…. safe. Like my proper place was in his arms." She giggled. "I barely know him, yet I feel safe when his arms are around me, holding me. Is that normal?"

"Of course, Rose," Alice said. "Weren't you listening when I was talking about how much I trust Jasper even though we just met?"

"Sort of," Rosalie confessed. "I was also thinking about Emmett. So you really trust him?"

"I told him my family's story." Alice looked down. Rosalie and I stared at her, unbelieving. Alice Brandon had told a near stranger the truth about her past? After just meeting him? I took her years to confess the story to us.

"You… you told him the story?" I asked incredulously. Alice nodded. "Even… even the part with your grandmother?"

"No!" Alice said, her head snapping up, her eyes wild. "I… I couldn't. I wanted to, badly, but…but I just couldn't bring myself to….to confess. Especially since…. since it was… that soldier… it was his…" tears were pouring silently down Alice's face. "I… I didn't want him to think that… that I held a grudge for it… for something that … wasn't his fault." Rosalie and I exchange panicked looks over Alice's head before wrapping our arms around her, hugging her tight. Her tears eventually subdued into light sniffles before fading entirely. As they faded, Rosalie and I released Alice, who then reached into the pocket of her dress, pulled out a handkerchief, and proceeded to dry the remaining tears and blow her nose. She put it back in her pocket before turning to me.

"So, Bella, you haven't told us about Edward yet," Alice said.

"Edward is…" I hesitated, how to begin? "I can't put words to it. There was just this…something, this air about him that drew me in. What he did for me tonight was unbearably sweet."

"Oh, yeah, I saw that," Rosalie said. Alice nodded in agreement. Rosalie continued in a sappy voice. "It sure was romantic the way he rescued you from that vile Mike Newton." Alice and Rosalie laughed.

"Don't laugh, you two," I said. "You two were in the exact same situation as I was, what with Tyler and Eric practically drooling over you two. And then, Jasper and Emmett have to step in like you're a pair of damsels in distress and they're Prince Charming." Alice and Rosalie stopped laughing. Rosalie opened her mouth to respond, but Alice cut her off.

"Listen," Alice hissed, her voice no more than a whisper. We quieted. Suddenly, the sounds of three gentlemen talking reached our ears. We looked at each other questioningly, trying to determine to whom they belonged. Suddenly, the answer presented itself.

"So what did you two think of those three girls?" A voice with a southern accent questioned. Alice's eyes widened and lit up. _Jasper,_ she mouthed to us. We nodded.

"You mean Rosalie, Alice, and Isabella?" a booming voice questioned back. This time Rosalie responded to the voice, smiling broadly. _Emmett, _she mouthed. Again, we nodded.

"Yes, Emmett," a velvety voice answered, sounding exasperated. "We didn't meet any other girls tonight, so it would have to be them." I sighed softly at the sound of Edward's voice before turning to Alice and Rosalie and mouthing _Edward_ to them. They nodded.

"Excuse me, Edward," Emmett said. "Maybe while you were busy staring at Isabella like a love-sick puppy, I was off meeting other girls." Rosalie's smile faded, and she flinched involuntarily, as if in physical pain, but Alice and I knew better. We knew she was reacting to Emmett's words.

Edward growled. "Emmett, I know for a fact that you didn't meet any other girls tonight. Meeting other girls would have required you to stop looking at Rosalie for a time span of more than a few seconds." Beside us, Rosalie's smile returned full bloom. Jasper chuckled.

"You shouldn't be laughing, Jasper," Emmett snarled. "You were just as besotted with Alice as I was with Rosalie and as Edward was with Isabella." Two sharp intakes of breath followed Emmett's statement. I assumed that it was Jasper and Edward, preparing to retaliate against Emmett's statement, but they never spoke. After a few moments of silence, all three boys sighed simultaneously.

"This is so weird, isn't it?" Edward asked. "None of the girls Esme and Carlisle have introduced to have ever had this affect on us."

"Until now," Jasper corrected softly.

"What is it about them, anyway?" Emmett pondered. "Why are they so special? Why did they have an affect on us almost instantaneously, when no other girl has before?" No one answered. Three sighs reverberated through the air and Alice, Rosalie, and I knew that they were thinking about us once again.

"I guess they have this power because there's something about them that draws us in," Jasper said. "At least, that's how it was for me and Alice. I just met her, and yet I know I can trust her. I told her about my past and she was able to empathize completely. It made me feel free."

"You told her?" Edward asked. "You've known her for one night and you already told her? It took you a week or two to confess to us and we're your closest friends."

"I know that, Edward," Jasper said. "I trust her. She understood me. It just felt like the right thing to do."

"I get what you're saying, Jasper," Emmett replied. "There was something similar between me and Rosalie. When I saw that vile Tyler Crowley bothering her, I just had to step in and help her. There was just this urge to protect her, to make sure she was safe in my arms. I don't know how to explain it."

"What about you and Isabella, Edward?" asked Jasper.

"I don't think there are words to describe the feelings I have for Isabella," Edward said quietly. "Everything about her is just amazing. When I touched her, it felt like little electric sparks were running up my arm. She is so different from every other girl I've ever met – even her two friends. I have feelings for Isabella and I know that my feelings for her are not going to change." Edward, Emmett, and Jasper fell silent again. After a few moments, Jasper broke the silence.

"We should go back inside," Jasper said. "No doubt Esme and Carlisle are wondering where we are." The sounds of three men getting up from their seats and walking away reached our ears. Alice, Rosalie, and I sat, unmoving and silent, until their footsteps faded away. Slowly, we turned to look at each other. No one spoke.

"We should go," Rosalie finally said. "It's getting late." Alice and I nodded and the three of us rose to our feet and made our way back inside. We swept through the ballroom, stopping briefly to say goodbye to Esme and Carlisle and to thank them for introducing us to Edward, Emmett and Jasper. We exited the ballroom and trailed through the entrance hall. We had almost reached the door when we heard three male voices calling our names. We turned to find Edward, Emmett, and Jasper making their way towards us.

"You know Miss Swan, Miss Brandon, Miss Hale, it's going to be rather hard to see you again if we don't know where you live," Edward said when they reached us. Smiling, they each withdrew a piece of paper and a pen from their pockets, **(A/N: yes, paper and pens did exist then.)** and handed them to us. Each of us wrote down our address and handed it back to the man who'd given it to us: Me to Edward, Rosalie to Emmett, and Alice to Jasper. They then pulled out a second piece of paper and handed them to us. On it, we found their address. Each group thanked the other before all six of us headed outside to wait for our respective carriages. Theirs arrived first, yet they refused to leave until they saw us safely off. We told them they didn't need to worry about us; we would be fine on our own. They refused to listen.

"And what if those three vile men who were bothering you earlier return?" Edward questioned. "Then you will need our help, will you not?" We sighed, defeated. Within the next minute, our carriage appeared. They then insisted on helping us in. We decided not to fight with them and agreed. Jasper helped Alice in first, followed by Emmett helping Rosalie, then Edward helping me. Once we were all in the carriage set off. We watched them through the curtains as we rode away; they were watching our carriage intently and continued to do so until we disappeared out of sight. Alice, Rosalie, and I settled back into our seats with a sigh and proceeded to spend the rest of the ride daydreaming about the handsome men we had just met.

**Wondering what Alice was talking about? Wondering who was that soldier and why was she worried about telling Jasper about him? Wondering why does it matter if he thinks she holds a grudge? Wondering how is it not his fault? All these questions will be answered if you do one simple task: keep reading. Once again, reviews are welcome, not mandatory.**

**xoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212**


	5. Horseback Riding

**Disclaimer: I only own Jonathan, Marie, and the horses. All the other characters are Stephanie Meyer's creations.**

Chapter 5 – Horseback Riding (Bella's POV)

_**Several weeks later…**_

_Knock, knock._ "Come in," I called. The door opened.

"Miss Swan?" I looked up from my book to find Jonathan in the doorway. "A letter from a Mr. Edward Masen just arrived for you." He handed me a letter bearing my name on the front, written in Edward's clear, elegant script.

"Thank you, Jonathan," I said.

"You're welcome Miss Swan," he said before leaving my room. Once he had left, I proceeded to open the letter and read it.

_Dear Isabella, _he wrote. _I hope this letter finds you in good health. It has been a long time since we last saw each other and I would like that to change. Therefore, I would like to invite you and your family to come riding with me and my family tomorrow. Please let me know soon if you plan to join us. Sincerely, Edward._ I smiled. Riding with Edward! I could not imagine anything that sounded more fun. Then I remembered that the invitation was to my parents, as well as myself, and that I needed to confirm with them before sending a reply to Edward. I stood up and went to find my parents.

I found them in the library, reading. Still holding the letter in my hand, I approached my parents. "Hello mother, father," I greeted them.

"Bella, darling," my mother cooed. Her eyes fell on the letter in my hand. "Whatever is that piece of paper, my dear?"

"It's a letter from my friend, Edward Masen. He's invited us to go horseback riding with his family tomorrow," I replied, holding out the letter so my parents could read it for themselves.

"That sounds lovely." My mother turned to my father. "What do you think, dear?"

My father turned to me. "Who is this Edward Masen?"

I sighed. "He's a friend, father. We met at the Cullens' party a few weeks ago. Carlisle and Esme introduced us."

My father nodded. "Bella, you had best go send a letter back telling Edward that we will meet them at his house at three o'clock."

I smiled broadly. "Thank you mother and father," I cooed before racing up to my room. Sitting down at my desk, I grabbed a pen and paper and began to write. _Dear Edward, _I wrote. _Your letter found me doing fine. It has been too long since we last saw each other and I was happy to see your invitation. My family and I would like to accept your invitation. We will meet you at your house at three o'clock tomorrow afternoon. Sincerely, Isabella._ When I finished writing, I went downstairs and bade one of the messenger boys to deliver my letter to Edward. An hour later, the messenger boy returned with a response from Edward. I eagerly opened it and began to read.

_Dear Isabella,_ he wrote. _I'm glad my letter found you in good spirits. I'm even happier to know that you agree with me that it has been far too long since we last saw each other. And I'm thrilled to hear that your family will be joining mine to go riding tomorrow. I look forward to seeing you. Until tomorrow, Isabella. Sincerely, Edward._

_**The next day…**_

As our carriage pulled up in front of Edward's house, I smiled. I was thrilled that we were going riding with his family. Ever since the party, I had desperately wanted to see him again. We alighted from the carriage and made our way towards the front door.

"Isabella!" I heard someone call my name. I turned and saw Edward making his way towards us followed by two people I assumed were his parents. When Edward and his parents reached us, Edward caught my hand and brought it to his lips. "It's a pleasure to see you again Isabella," he said, kissing my fingertips. Once again, the spark shot up my arm and I saw in his eyes that he felt it too.

"It's a pleasure to see you again as well, Edward," I said. "Mother, father, I would like you to meet Edward Masen. Edward, I'd like you to meet my parents."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Swan," Edward said, shaking hands with my parents.

"It's nice to meet you too, Edward," my mother replied. My father nodded.

"Now allow me to introduce you to my parents, Isabella. Mother, father, I'd like you to meet Isabella Swan and her parents. Isabella, Mr. and Mrs. Swan, I'd like you to meet my parents." I shook hands with Edward's parents.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Masen," my father said. "I'm Charlie, and this is my wife, Renee." **(A/N: I know that in the series Charlie and Renee are divorced, but for the purpose of my story, they're not.)**

"It's nice to meet you both," Edward's dad said. "I'm Edward Sr. and this is my wife, Elizabeth."

"So shall we head out to ride?" Elizabeth asked.

"Sure," my mother answered. Everyone else nodded. We got into our respective carriages and set out. Fifteen minutes later, the carriages stopped, and we alighted. We found ourselves in a large field that stretched for miles. Six horses were waiting for us, three black and three white. Immediately, Edward walked over and took the reins of two of the horses, one black, one white, and led them towards me.

"These are my horses, Snowflake and Thunder," Edward said as he reached me. Hesitantly, I reached out a hand and stroked the white horse's neck. Snowflake's head twisted towards me. "I think she likes you," Edward told me. "Here, hold out your hand so she can get to know you better." Hesitantly, I held out my hand in front of Snowflake. She responded by nuzzling her nose into my hand. Edward smiled. "Yeah, she likes you."

I smiled. "Which horse am I riding?" I asked.

"Well, since Snowflake likes you, why don't you ride her?" Edward suggested. I nodded and proceeded to climb into the saddle. Edward climbed onto Thunder and together we turned to face our parents. All four of them were sitting on the remaining horses waiting for us.

"Are you two ready?" Edward Sr. asked us. We nodded. Edward Sr. started off, followed by Elizabeth and my parents with me and Edward in the rear. We rode for an hour or two in this little cluster talking and enjoying the countryside. After a while, Edward turned to me.

"Would you care to race, Isabella?" Edward asked me, his eyes sparkling.

"If our parents are fine with us racing, I would love to," I answered.

"Mother, father, is it okay if Isabella and I race to the lake?" Edward asked.

Elizabeth glanced at my parents and her husband, who nodded in approval. "Of course, dears," she said. Edward and I maneuvered our horses to the front of the group.

"Ready?" Edward said. I nodded. "On your marks, get set, GO!" We shot off into the distance, heading for the lake about a mile away. Our horses bounced underneath us as we raced, faster and faster. It was a very close race. Edward and I stayed neck-in-neck most of the way. At the very end, Thunder got a sudden burst of speed and Edward pulled ahead to win.

When I reached the lake, Edward had already dismounted and Thunder was drinking water. I rode up beside him and stopped. Edward reached out and helped me down. As my feet hit the ground, I tripped. I thought for sure I was going to fall until I felt arms wrap around my waist. Edward. Of course. He helped me straighten up, never letting go of my waist. I looked up at him to find him looking down at me, smiling. I blushed, smiling back up at him. His green eyes locked onto my brown ones. We stood like that, his arms around my waist, gazing into each others eyes, until the sounds of hoof beats reached our ears. Our parents. Edward let go of my waist and grabbed Snowflake's reins, leading her to the lake to get a drink. He returned to the group and helped our parents get off their horses and lead them to the water. We spent a half hour resting beside this lake before remounting and riding back to where we had began and returning to Edward's house. My parents bade Edward and his parents goodbye before getting into our carriage. I bade Edward Sr. and Elizabeth goodbye, before turning to Edward.

"Thank you for inviting us, Edward," I said. "I had a lot of fun."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, Isabella," Edward replied with a smile. "Will I see you again soon?"

"I can only hope so," I said softly.

Edward laughed and lifted my hand to his lips to kiss my fingertips. "Until next time, Isabella."

"Goodbye Edward." With that, I joined my parents in the carriage and returned home.

**So sweet. And now, my dear readers, I have some bad news. I am starting a summer program this Sunday that lasts for three weeks. During this time, I will not have access to either a computer or the internet. So I won't be able to type up more chapters and update my story. However, I will have access to a pencil and a notebook which means that I can write my story in the notebook and type it up and update when I get back. So, if you can just be pacient with me for a few weeks, it'll be worth your while.**

**As always, reviews are not mandatory, but appreciated.**

**xoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212**


	6. A Game of Croquet

**I'm back! Did ya'll miss me? Anywho, I have a little treat for you guys. Remember how I promised that being pacient with me for a few weeks would be worth your while? Well, it is about to become well worth your while to have been so pacient with me (for which I'm truely thankful). So, as a little thank you present, I have FOUR new chapters for you, to be posted over the course of today and tomorrow. Enjoy sweeties.**

**Also, I'd like to give a shout-out to my beta, SporkFilledDeath345. Thanks for your help editing and writing, SporkFilledDeath345. You rock!**

* * *

**A/N: This takes place at roughly the same time as Chapter 5.**

Chapter 6 – A Game of Croquet (Rosalie's POV)

I turned my head slightly to the right, examining my profile. _Hmm, _I wondered, _should I go with my left profile for my portrait? _I turned my head to the left. _Or my right? _I turned my face towards my mirror. _Or should I do a full-face portrait? Not that it matters; I look beautiful regardless._

A knock on my door interrupted my reverie. "Come in," I called. The door opened to reveal the butler.

"Miss Hale, a letter just arrived for you from a Mr. Emmett McCarty." He handed me the letter.

"Thank you," I answered. The butler nodded and left. I settled down on my bed, opened the letter and began to read.

_Dear Rosalie,_ the letter read. _I very much enjoyed spending part of my evening at the Cullens' party with you. You are a charming young lady and I am sure my parents would benefit greatly from meeting you. Please join us tomorrow at my house for a game of croquet. Please bring your parents. Sincerely, Emmett._

I stood up and walked to my desk. I sat down, took out a piece of paper and a pen, and began to write my response.

_Dear Emmett,_ I wrote. _Thank you for your compliment. I too enjoyed your company that night and would love to see you again. My parents and I will be at your house at three o'clock tomorrow. Until tomorrow, Rosalie. _Finishing my letter, I went to one of the messengers, bade him to deliver the letter, informed my parents of our plans, returned to my room, and resumed examining my facial features.

_**The next day…**_

Our carriage rounded the corner and Emmett's house came into view. As we pulled into the drive, I spotted Emmett from afar. We reached the door and alighted. Emmett stood waiting for us with his parents. As we reached them, Emmett took my hand and kissed my fingertips.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Rosalie," Emmett said.

"It's a pleasure to see you again as well, Emmett," I replied. "Mother, father, I would like you to meet Emmett McCarty. Emmett, I'd like you to meet my parents."

"It's nice to meet you Emmett," my father said as he shook hands with Emmett.

"It's nice to meet you both as well," Emmett replied. "You have a very lovely daughter." I blushed.

My mother laughed. "We think so too," she replied.

Emmett laughed. "Mother, father, I'd like you to meet my friend Rosalie Hale and her parents," he said.

"It's very nice to meet you, Rosalie, dear," Mrs. McCarty said.

"It's nice to meet you too," I answered.

"Shall we head to the backyard and commence the game of croquet?" Mr. McCarty asked.

"We shall," my father replied. We walked through the house to the backyard and found a croquet game ready for us to play. Six mallets stood on a mallet stand with the six balls lined up in color order: red, blue, yellow, orange, green, black. We each selected a ball and a mallet. The order went me, then my father, the Mrs. McCarty, then Mr. McCarty, then my mother, and last was Emmett. We played for a while amid laughter and enjoyment.

It was Emmett's turn. My ball was a few inches from the stake and I was contemplating my winning move when I heard a click of two balls hitting each other. I looked up to see my red ball rolling away, Emmett's black ball in its place.

"Emmett, it seems you have roqueted Rosalie's ball," my mother said. "What would you like to do?"

Emmett paused for a second. He bent down and picked up his own ball. He walked over to my ball and put his down next to mine, so they were touching. He put his foot on his ball, prepared his mallet, and swung. His mallet hit his ball with a resounding **Crack**. My ball shot off into the distance and into the tree surrounding the yard. He then took a second shot. He turned to me. "I'm sorry, Rosalie," he said sheepishly.

"I can't believe you would do that to me, Emmett," I said quietly. I could feel the anger and hurt I felt seeping into my eyes. I turned and stalked off to find my ball.

I heard footsteps behind me and a voice calling my name. "Rosalie!" It was Emmett. I turned.

"I don't want to talk to you, Emmett," I snapped. Before he could respond, I turned and walked away, disappearing into the trees. He followed me into the trees, grabbing onto my wrist to stop me from getting away. I turned. "What do you want, Emmett?" I asked.

"I want to apologize," Emmett said. He paused, but I didn't respond. "I realize that what I did was wrong. I hurt your feelings and I'm sorry." He paused again. I still did not respond. "Aren't you going to say something?" I didn't answer. "Fine, Rosalie." He let go of my wrist and walked away.

I watched him go. _You ignorant, pompous girl,_ I told myself. _He tried to apologize to you and you completely disregarded him. Is this anyway to treat someone you care about? You should go apologize._

I chased after him. "Emmett!" I called. He stopped, but didn't turn around. I made my way towards him. Tentatively, I place my hand on his arm. He still wouldn't look at me. "Emmett," I said again. He turned his head and looked at me, his eyes full of anger and hurt and something I couldn't identify. Sadness.

I looked away, but didn't hesitate. "I'm sorry, Emmett," I told him. "I'm sorry that I acted like a vain, pompous brat. I should have forgiven you. I do forgive you. I didn't mean to hurt you Emmett. I'm sorry." I met his eyes once more.

Emmett didn't say anything; he simply continued to look at me with eyes full of anger and hurt. I dropped my hand and turned away from him. A single tear slid down my cheek.

I felt a hand that wasn't my own wiping the tear off my cheek. I turned towards Emmett hesitantly and found him holding his hand out toward me, a soft smile on his face. Tentatively, I took his hand. He pulled me into his chest and wrapped his arms around me. I leaned my head against him and sighed. We stood like this for a few minutes.

Suddenly, I heard Mrs. McCarty calling us. "Emmett? Rosalie?"

"Yes mother?" Emmett called back.

"Have you found the ball yet?"

"Not yet. We'll keep looking." Emmett dropped his arms. I lifted my head off of his chest and sighed in disappointment. Emmett chuckled and reached down to take my hand. "Come on," he said. "Let's go look for your croquet ball."

Hand in hand, we searched the trees for the ball. After a few moments, Emmett bent down with a triumphant "Aha!" When he straightened up, he held my ball. I smiled and we began making our way back towards our parents. When we reached the edge of the trees, Emmett let go of my hand. I pouted, but I knew it was better if we kept the whole episode in the trees a secret.

We rejoined the group and finished the game. The six of us then made our way back to the front of the house. We found our carriage waiting when we emerged. My parents bade everyone goodbye and entered the carriage. I said goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. McCarty before turning to Emmett.

"Thank you for inviting me, Emmett," I told him. "I had a wonderful time."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, Rosalie," Emmett replied. "Will I see you again soon?"

"I believe that I can be arranged," I answered. Emmett smiled. Without another word, he helped me into my carriage and we departed.


	7. Dinner Party

**Two promised updates down, two more to go. So here it is... Chapter Seven!**

**Disclaimer: I only own the servants I've given the girls.**

**A quick A/N: this chapter takes place around the same time as chapters 5 and 6.**

Chapter 7 – Dinner Party (Alice's POV)

I stood in front of my mirror, debating over which dress to wear. I held a green dress up. _Should I wear this one?_ I mused to myself. I looked over at my chair. _Or should I wear the purple one? Or what about the blue one? Or what about…?_

My silent debate was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in," I called. The door opened and Augustus, the butler, entered my room.

"Miss Brandon, a letter just arrived for you," he said.

"Thank you, Augustus," I answered. "Leave it on my desk please." He placed the letter on my desk before exiting the room. Setting down the dress, I made my way over to my desk and settled down before turning to see whom the letter was from. The front bore my name in large writing. Tucked away in the upper left corner was the sender's name: Jasper Whitlock. I smiled, opening the letter and reading Jasper's message.

_Dear Alice,_ he wrote. _I was at a friend's house for dinner last night, and your family was brought up. Of course, I immediately thought of you, and how long it has been since we last saw each other. I then remember you mentioning that you thought our families would benefit from meeting each other. I agree whole-heartedly; therefore, it would be my pleasure if you and your parents would join me and my parents for dinner tomorrow night. I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Jasper. _**(A/N: I know in earlier chapters I said that Alice has brothers, but they're married and don't live with the family.)**

_How sweet, _I thought. _Jasper invited my family to dinner with him and his family._ Placing the letter on my desk, I raced off to find my parents. Within five minutes, I was settling back into my desk chair, drawing a piece of paper and a pen towards me in order to write back to Jasper and accept his invitation.

_Dear Jasper,_ I wrote, _I am flattered that the mention of my family immediately brings me to your mind. I'm also flattered that you remember the night we first met so well. I am thrilled that you agree with my statement from that night. I would like to accept your invitation for dinner tomorrow night. My family and I will be at your house at 5 o'clock for supper. Until then, Alice._ Setting down my pen, I found one of the messengers and directed him to send the letter. Returning to my room, I summoned my maid and began preparing tomorrow's outfit.

_**The next day…**_

At five o'clock on the dot, our carriage pulled up outside Jasper's home. We alighted from the carriage and were greeted, not by Jasper and his parents, but by the butler, who showed us into the sitting room before exiting to go find our hosts. While we waited, my parents and I walked around the room, admiring the artwork hanging there. One particular painting, situated by the entrance, caught my attention and I went to examine it. It was a portrait of Jasper. I looked closely at it, admiring how similar it looked to the real-life Jasper and how the artist had caught the little twinkle in Jasper's eye.

"So you must be Alice Brandon," a feminine voice with a Southern accent trilled from beside me. I turned and found Jasper standing in front of me with his parents. His mother was watching me, a broad smile on her face.

"That would be me," I answered, stepping forward to kiss her cheeks. "How did you know?"

"Jasper described you perfectly," Mrs. Whitlock replied. "I thought he was exaggerating, of course, but you are as beautiful as he said you were." I blushed.

"Mother," Jasper said in a strangled voice. I looked at him and saw that he was as red as I was. I laughed softly. Before I could speak to him, Mr. Whitlock stepped forward to shake my hand.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Alice," Mr. Whitlock said. "I've heard many lovely things about you from my son." Behind him, Jasper's face turned an even deeper shade of red.

"It's nice to meet you, too, Mr. Whitlock," I said. "May I introduce my parents?" Mr. Whitlock stepped around me to shake hands with my parents, as did Mrs. Whitlock. Once I was sure our parents were occupied, I turned to Jasper. He caught my hand and brought my fingertips to his mouth. His lips lingered longer than necessary on my fingertips, but I made no move to stop him.

"It's so lovely to see you again, Alice," Jasper said once he finished kissing my fingertips. "You look beautiful, as always."

"Thank you, Jasper. It's wonderful to see you again, too," I answered, my voice full of happiness from just being around him.

"So what piece of art had you so utterly fascinated before?" he asked, the twinkle in eyes visible.

"It was the portrait of you," I confessed. He laughed. He opened his mouth to respond, but was stopped by the butler announcing supper. The six of us made our way to the dinning room. Unsurprisingly, but nevertheless to my delight, I was seated next to Jasper. The meal was lovely and conversation was lively. Towards the end of supper, conversation turned to family origins.

"Mrs. Whitlock, I noticed all three of you bear a southern accent," my mother remarked. "Where in the south are you from?"

"We're originally from Texas," Mrs. Whitlock said.

"Why did you leave?" my father asked.

"Our family has had some bad histories with wars, and we didn't want our only son to have to face the horrors of battle," Mr. Whitlock replied.

"I see what Alice meant when she said our families were alike," my father said. "Our family too has had a bad history with war. We too escaped from our home to save our children."

"We're from Mississippi," I clarified.

Mr. and Mrs. Whitlock looked at my father. "What do you mean, children?" Mr. Whitlock asked.

"The men of our family are not the only ones who have suffered due to wartime," my father answered somberly. "My mother – Alice's grandmother – was unfortunately raped by an American soldier during the War of 1812." A look of shock quickly passed over the faces of Mr. and Mrs. Whitlock. I turned to Jasper hoping to receive an explanation; he averted his eyes. Tactfully, I changed the subject.

The rest of the meal passed by smoothly. When we finished, Jasper's parents invited us back into the sitting room for coffee. I, however, felt it was time to get some answers. I turned towards Jasper. "You know, Jasper, your family has such a lovely house," I cooed sweetly.

"Thank you Alice," Jasper said with a smile. "Would you like a tour?"

"I would love that," I answered.

Jasper turned towards the adults. "Would anyone care to join us?" he asked. The adults declined. He turned back to me. "I guess it's just you and me," he said. I smiled. Jasper began showing me around his home, pointing out various things of interest, like paintings or sculptures. After we finished the main house, he led me outside to the gardens and began showing me them. We winded through beautiful flower bushes and tall hedges until we reached a small fountain. Around this fountain were several benches. Jasper led me towards one and we sat down. For a little while, neither of us spoke. I was bracing myself to ask about what had happened at dinner when Jasper's voice broke the silence.

"Alice, do you remember the first night we met?" he asked me.

_Of course I remember. How could I forget that night? That was when I first met you._ I thought to myself. Out loud, I simply said "yes."

"And do you remember what we talked about?" he said softly, looking at me. I nodded. He turned his face away from me and continued to speak. "I was so shocked when I first met you, Alice. I had never seen you before, didn't even know your name, but there was still this undeniable feeling of trust between us. I knew I could trust you and that you trusted me." He looked at me, his eyes full of anger and hurt. "And now, I find out that you didn't even trust me enough to tell me the whole story!" I gasped at his accusation. He looked away from me again. My mind started to race. How could I explain this to him in a way that wouldn't ruin everything?

"Jasper, I'm sorry," I began. "I should have told you about my grandmother when we met. You're right. But there's a reason I didn't tell you this when we met. There was a piece of information my parents didn't disclose when they told the story, however brief. You see," I felt my voice breaking, but I tried to remain steady. "We know the name of the soldier who…" I faltered. "Who raped my grandmother." I felt tears silently falling down my face. Jasper handed me a handkerchief and I began to dry my eyes.

"What was the soldier's name?" Jasper asked me. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

I swallowed. _It's now or never,_ I told myself. I hesitated. "Private Whitlock," I whispered finally. I looked up at Jasper. His reaction shocked me. He looked calm, not angry or hurt like I would have expected since I had just named his grandfather as my grandmother's rapist.

"Alice, do you remember the very first thing you said to me the first time we met?" he asked me.

I hesitated. "I asked you why you had rescued me from Mr. Yorkie," I answered.

"Do you remember my answer?"

"You said that the way he was acting was no way to treat a lady like me."

"What if there was another reason?" I looked up at Jasper, surprised. He reached out and took my hands in his before continuing. "Alice, it was never a secret in my family that my grandfather had raped someone during his service in the War of 1812. When he came home, he was very proud of what he had done. He was proud that he had raped this poor girl from Mississippi. My great-grandmother was shocked. When my grandfather married and had my father, she made sure that he was raised to respect women. She wanted to ensure that he wouldn't do what my grandfather did. When he was old enough, she explained the story to him and told him that if he had a son, he was to do the same thing she did for him." Jasper stopped for a second to look at me. "My dad was horrified by his father's actions. When I was born, he was terrified I would become like my grandfather. He took every precaution to ensure that I would never mistreat a woman in my life. That's why I had to rescue you from Mr. Yorkie." Jasper eyes began to twinkle as he looked at me. "Watching him brought the story of my grandfather's actions back to my mind. I was appalled that anyone would be so impolite to a woman, especially one like you. I always make sure that I'm polite to any female I meet. I guess it's because I think that I can remedy my grandfather's actions through my own. It's kind of foolish, really."

"I don't think it's foolish," I told him.

"You don't?" he asked, surprised.

"On the contrary, I think it's very smart. It shows that you're a true gentleman. Besides, if you weren't such a gentleman, we wouldn't be here. Together." I looked up at him, waiting for his response.

Jasper didn't answer. Instead, he pulled me closer to him, so that I was sitting in his lap, and wrapped his arms around me. I leaned my head against his shoulder and closed my eyes, content. We sat like this for a while as the sky got progressively darker. Finally, Jasper spoke. "I think we should go back inside," he told me. Reluctantly, I lifted my head off his shoulder. He dropped his arms and I climbed off of his lap. We walked back inside. Rejoining the adults, we talked for another hour before my parents decided it was time to go. We went outside to wait for our carriage. When it came, my parents said their goodbyes and entered the carriage. I said goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Whitlock before turning to Jasper.

"Thank you for inviting us, Jasper," I said. "Supper was lovely and I had a fabulous time."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, Alice," he said as he brought my hand to his mouth and kissed my fingertips. "I hope I can see you again soon."

"I'm sure we can arrange that," I said with a smile. He returned the smile and helped me into my carriage. As we set off, I saw him watching us go, his eyes never faltering until we rounded the corner, out of sight. I sighed and settled back in my seat, thinking all the while of Jasper and knowing that he was thinking of me, too.

**Ah, so sweet. But don't be fooled, sweeties. There's conflict building up and it's about to hit a boiling point and explode. Stay tuned.**

**As always, reviews are welcome (plus they make me happy). Au revoir for now.**

**xoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212**


	8. One Surprise Too Many

**Here it is... Chapter 8, update 3 out of 4.**

Chapter 8 – One Surprise Too Many (Bella's POV)

_**One month later…**_

I looked at my desk and saw an envelope sitting on it. The clear, elegant script identified the sender immediately. _Edward_, I thought. _Of course._ Ever since Edward and I had gone horseback riding, we had become increasingly close. It was very clear to anyone who saw us that there were feelings that were stronger than friendship between us, yet somehow the topic never came up.

I sat down at my desk, opened the letter, and began to read. _Dear Isabella,_ he wrote. _I apologize for the lack of advanced warning but I would like to invite you to join me for a picnic today. I have a surprise for you that I think you'll enjoy. Your friend, Edward. P.S. I have already confirmed our plans with both of our parents._

Immediately, I wrote and sent a response to Edward. I was excited to see him and anxious to find out what Edward's surprise was.

At 12 o'clock, my carriage pulled up in front of Edward's house. Edward was waiting for me, a picnic basket at his feet. He helped me from my carriage and kissed my fingertips. His lips didn't leave my hand until I said, "Weren't we supposed to be going on a picnic, Edward?"

Edward straightened up with a laugh. "I do believe you're right," he said. He picked up the picnic basket and took my hand. Hand in hand, we walked around the house, and headed towards the trees lining the backyard. For a brief second, I panicked. Edward laughed. "Don't worry," he said. "It's not that far and there's a path." He gestured to a break in the trees. Hand in hand, we began to walk through the trees.

After five minutes, we emerged into a meadow so beautiful it took my breath away. It was perfectly circular and filled with purple, yellow, and soft white wildflowers. Somewhere in the distance a stream babbled away. I turned to Edward, speechless.

"Do you like it?" Edward asked.

"It's beautiful," I said. "How did you find it?"

"I was wandering one day and I found it." He shrugged. "It's no big deal. Shall we set up the picnic and eat?" Together, we lay out the blanket and began to eat. Once we finished, we sat and talked. Conversation ranged over a variety of topics, however, Edward never brought up the surprise. Finally, I could stand the suspense no longer.

"Edward?" I said.

"Yes, Isabella?" he said.

"Edward, please, call me Bella."

"Yes, Bella?"

"Didn't you say you had a surprise for me?"

"Yes, I did. Would you like to know what it is?"

"If you're ready to show me what it is, I'm ready to see it."

"Okay then, Bella." He turned his body towards me. I angled my body towards him in response. He reached across the space between us and took my hands.

"Bella, there's something I need to tell you," Edward said without looking at me.

"What is it, Edward?" I asked.

"Bella, I…" Edward's green eyes found my brown ones. "I love you, Bella." I was shocked. I didn't answer. "If you don't feel the same way, Bella, I understand," Edward panicked. "I just thought that…"

"No, Edward, wait," I interrupted. "You just caught me off-guard, that's all. Of course I love you, Edward."

"I'm glad to know that, Bella," Edward said. He pulled me against his side and wrapped his arms around me, holding me there. We sat like this, talking, for hours.

The sky was growing dark when Edward told me that I should go home. Reluctantly, we packed up the remains of the picnic, returned to his house, and went our separate ways for the night.

That night I could barely contain my happiness. As I brushed my hair, all I could think was _Edward loves me. Edward loves me._ In a state of bliss, I danced my way past my window… and stopped. Coming up the street was a man and a woman. They were clearly a couple by how close they were to each other and how they touched each other. Something about the man seemed familiar. I watched them, waiting for them to step into the pool of light coming from my window.

The woman stepped into the light first. She had curly strawberry-blond hair and dark eyes. She was beautiful, almost as beautiful as Rosalie. I recognized her as that girl, Tanya, from a party of the Cullens' several weeks ago. Then the man stepped into the light as well. I gasped as the reason for his familiarity became clear.

That man was familiar because that man was Edward.

**Dun, dun, dun. Big cliffie here. Well, life can't always be cloud 9, can it?**

**Reviews are welcome and appreciated.**

**xoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212**


	9. Betrayal

**Aren't you all glad that this is part of the four chapters I promised you? I know I am because it temporarily saves me from being hurt by you guys. So here it is, chapter 9, update 4 of 4 promised.**

Chapter 9 – Betrayal (Bella's POV)

I froze at the window, unable to comprehend what I was seeing. Edward. My Edward. With…her. Tanya.

_How is this possible?_ I asked myself. _He loves me. I told me he loves me. I know he loves me. But…why?_

Just then, Edward looked up at my window. Not wanting to be seen, I fled from the window. I blew out the light and settled down in bed, but sleep wouldn't come. After much tossing and turning, I finally fell asleep.

The next morning, I woke up, excited as always to see Edward. Then I remembered what I saw last night. My excitement faded to anger as I thought about Edward and Tanya, together. Without getting dressed properly, I raced to my desk and began writing a letter.

_Dear Edward,_ I wrote. _I regret to inform you that I can no longer remain your acquaintance. I wish you well. Sincerely, Isabella._ Putting on a simple day dress, I went down stairs and instructed one of the messengers to deliver the letter.

A few hours later, I sat in my room, reading, when I heard a knock on the door. "Come in!" I called.

Jonathan, the butler, opened the door. "Miss Swan, a Mr. Edward Masen is here to see you," he said.

"What?!" I said. I raced out of my bedroom, towards the entrance hall. There he was, waiting for me. Slowly, I descended the stairs.

"Edward," I said when I reached him.

"Isabella," he replied.

"Why are you here, Edward?" I asked.

"I'm here because of this." Edward pulled my letter out of his pocket. "Why did you send me this?"

"I saw you last night, Edward. I saw you with… Tanya." I spat out her name like it was a curse.

"Bella, I can explain…" Edward pleaded.

"I thought you loved me, Edward," I said.

"I do love you, Bella."

"So that wasn't you I saw with Tanya?"

"I'm not going to lie to you, Bella. That was me you saw with Tanya."

"Do you have feelings for her?" Edward didn't answer. "Edward, do you have feelings for her?" Slowly, Edward nodded his head. "Edward…." I said, choking on my words.

"Bella, please…" Edward said.

"I'm sorry, Edward," I said. "But I meant what I wrote. I can't remain your friend. You betrayed my trust, Edward. I can't forgive you for that. Goodbye, Edward."

"Bella," Edward pleaded.

"That's Miss Swan to you," I said coldly. "Good day, Mr. Masen." Without another word, I swept up the stairs and out of the entrance hall. Once I was out of the entrance hall, I stopped. Silence roared through the house. After a few seconds, I heard footsteps from the entrance hall. I heard the front door open and shut and I knew that Edward had left.

I felt the tears beginning to fall and knew I wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. Blindly, I ran through the hallways towards my room. I wretched open my door, stumbled into my room, and slammed the door behind me. Throwing myself onto my bed, I began to cry unrelentlessly. I cried over Edward's betrayal, over our ruined friendship, and over the heartbreak I felt from finding out that Edward's sweet words were all lies. But most of all I cried because even after what had happened, I still loved Edward even though he didn't love me anymore.

**Sniff. So sad. Don't worry sweeties, it's not over til the fat lady sings. Anywho, I hope that the last four chapters made up for my three-week absence. And now, more bad news. Once again, I must take my leave of you lovely people and take a four week vacation sans internet or computer. However, I still have my notebook and my pencil so I promise you several new chapters when I return. So for now, I must bid you all adieu. I'll miss you all.**

**xoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212**


	10. Return From The Dead

**I'm baaaaaaack. And you know what that means... updates! As promised, I have a few new chapters for you, which shall all be posted within the next week. So, enjoy!**

**A/N: The next three chapters (10, 11, and 12) all take place roughly around the time of chapters 8 and 9.**

Chapter 10 – Return From The Dead (Alice's POV)

I made my way towards the sitting room, wandering what my parents wanted to talk to me about. I knew I wasn't in trouble; I had been spending most of my time with Jasper, so I couldn't have done anything wrong. Maybe that was it; maybe they were upset that I was usually with Jasper. I dismissed that notion as soon as it entered my head. My parents loved Jasper. So what could it be?

As I entered the sitting room, I received a shock. Waiting for me were my parents, Jasper's parents, and Jasper himself. I looked around the room, confused.

"Alice, dear," my mother said. "Come sit." Still confused, I settled down next to Jasper. My mother smiled. "Now then, Alice, you're probably wondering why we called you." I nodded. "Well, sweetheart, we've been talking to the Whitlocks, who mentioned that Jasper…"

"Do you mind if I tell her, Mrs. Brandon?" Jasper asked.

"Of course not, Jasper," my mother said. "It's really your news, after all."

Jasper smiled, then turned to me. "Alice," he said, taking my hands in his. "Do you remember what we talked about the night we went to the park?"

_Flashback_

_Jasper and I were sitting on a bench in the park, talking. Suddenly, Jasper turned to me._

_"Alice?" he said._

_"Yes, Jasper?" I answered._

_"Have I ever told you that I love you?"_

_"You don't need to tell me that, Jasper. I already know."_

_"I love you, Alice."_

_"I love you too, Jasper. I can't imagine a world without you. I would do anything to be able to spend the rest of my life with you."_

_"Even marry me?" Jasper asked._

_"There is nothing I want more than to be your wife, Jasper."_

_"Good," Jasper said, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me close._

_End Flashback_

"I remember," I said.

"Do you remember the very last thing we talked about?" I nodded. "Well, that's why I'm here." I stared at him, uncomprehending. Suddenly, a memory of Jasper speaking came to mind. "Even marry me?" the memory said. My eyes widened and I gasped.

"We're getting married?!" I asked, shocked.

"Only if you want to, Alice, dear," my father said. "Your mother and I are fine with you marrying Jasper, as are the Whitlocks, but it is ultimately your decision."

I turned to Jasper and directed my words to him. "I meant my words from that night. I really can't think of anything I want more than being your wife, Jasper. Of course I'll marry you."

Jasper smiled. "Then it's settled. As of right now, you and I are engaged." All the adults smiled. I smiled too, trying to downplay the sense of dread building in me from something I had been trying to forget for far too long.

The Whitlocks stayed for another hour before leaving. After they left, I raced to my room and locked the door. Sitting down on my bed, I pulled a small, ornate chest of out of my night table. Taking the key from under my pillow, I unlocked the chest and took out the contents, a letter. I didn't need to read it; I knew the contents all to well. Staring at it, the memory of the day I received it broke into my mind.

_Flashback_

_I had been passing through the entrance hall when I heard a knock on the door. I went to open it. Waiting outside was a short man in black._

_"I'm looking for a Miss Alice Brandon," he said upon seeing me._

_"I'm Alice Brandon," I replied. "How may I help you?"_

_"I have a letter for you, Miss Brandon." He handed me a letter and my heart fell. It was one of those official letters that were only sent when… when someone died. My heart fell even more. He hadn't…?_

_The man saw my distress. "I'm very sorry for your loss," he said. "I wish you well." With that he left. I remained frozen in the open doorway. Finally, I went inside. As soon as I shut the door, I tore open the letter and began to read, only to have my worst fear confirmed._

_**Dear Miss Brandon,**__ the letter read. __**We regret to inform you that your betrothed has been killed fighting for the Confederate States of America. We're sorry for your loss. We wish you well. Sincerely, the Confederate Army.**_

_End flashback_

With tears in my eyes, I shoved the letter back into the chest and returned both it and the key to their respective locations. No sooner had I returned the chest and key to their hiding places when I heard a knock on the door. "Come in," I called, drying my eyes. The door opened and Augustus entered my room.

"Miss Brandon, there's a young man waiting in the entrance hall for you," he said. "He would like to talk to you."

"Who is this young man?" I asked.

"He didn't tell me his name," Augustus answered. "He said that you would recognize him, Miss Brandon."

"Very well," I said, rising from the edge of my bed. I proceeded towards the entrance hall. As I reached the top of the stairs, I looked down, trying to spot my visitor, but I couldn't see him. Nevertheless, I made my way down the stairs. At the bottom, I looked around again. My eyes settled on a man purposely standing in the shadows so his features were unrecognizable. As I watched him, he turned his head toward me.

"Hello, Alice," he said in a husky, all too familiar voice.

I gave a start, unable to believe my ears. "J-Jacob?" I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

And out of the shadows stepped my should be dead husband, Jacob Black.

**Dun-dun-dun. Betcha didn't see that one coming. Well, at least not who it was. Anywho, stay tuned for more. As always, reviews are appreciated.**

**xoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212**


	11. Reunion

**Here it is... chapter 11!**

Chapter 11 – Reunion (Alice's POV)

I stared at the figure of my intended, unbelieving. I was convinced that this wasn't him, even though the man in front of me bore a striking resemblance to my Jacob. The russet-colored skin, the dark hair, the black eyes – they all seemed so familiar. Slowly, I reached out my hand. He took it in his, holding on in the exact manner my Jacob had. I felt the tension and fear in my body melting away at his touch.

"Is it really you?" I whispered.

"It's really me," he replied.

"But how? I thought you were… Aren't you supposed to be….dead?"

"It's an interesting story that I think your parents need to hear as well. Find them, and then I'll explain."

Ten minutes later, after my parents had gotten over the initial shock of my dead intended being alive, we all sat in the sitting room, waiting to hear Jacob's story. Jacob looked around nervously before he began.

"The whole story begins with me being drafted into the Confederate Army," he said. "We trained very hard for many months. One day, about a year and a half ago, we engaged the North in a nasty battle. The last thing I remember from the fight was being knocked over and feeling my head hit the ground. Everything goes black after that." Jacob paused. "What I think happened was I was knocked unconscious and they thought I was dead. When I regained consciousness, the fight was over. I was alone among the dead. I went back to where our camp was, but they had left. Luckily, there was a town a few miles away. I stayed there for a few weeks, maybe two months, regaining my strength. Since then, I've been traveling, reassuring close friends and family that I'm alive. That's how I ended up here. I came to find Alice and claim my bride." At this, my parents and I exchanged worried looks, but Jacob didn't notice. "Anyway," he continued, rising to his feet, "I'd better go. My father and I are staying at the local inn. We'll be over tomorrow afternoon to discuss wedding plans. Goodbye Alice." Jacob bent down and kissed my cheek. "Goodbye Mr. and Mrs. Brandon." Without another word, Jacob left.

After he left, I turned to my parents. "Well, this is going to cause some complications," my mother said finally.

"What are you talking about, mother?" I asked.

"Alice, you're betrothed to Jacob and engaged to Jasper," my father said. "And you can't marry both."

"So… who am I going to marry?"

My parents looked at each other and my heart sank. "We're sorry Alice, but you have to marry Jacob. You two are betrothed. It's only right," my father said.

"But I thought the decision was that I could marry someone else."

"Not quite, Alice, dear," my mother said. "The decision was that as long as Jacob is truly dead, you can remarry. Since Jacob is alive, you can't remarry."

"So what are we going to tell Jasper? That I can't marry him because I have to marry a man we thought was dead?"

"We will explain everything to the Whitlocks in due time," my father said. "I'm sure Jasper will understand."

"All Jasper will understand is that I've betrayed his trust," I said, fighting back tears. "Again. How can I do that to him? I love him."

"You love Jacob too, don't you?" my mother questioned.

"Loved. I loved Jacob before I had to accept that he was dead. Now I love someone else."

"I'm sorry, Alice," my father said sternly. "But you are marrying Jacob and that is final."

"Don't I get a say in who I marry?" I pleaded. "Don't you care about my happiness?"

"Alice, this conversation is over," my father said. "You're free to go."

"Fine," I said softly. I left the room, tears streaming down my face. I raced to my room, locking myself in. I fell onto my bed and began to cry my heart out, over Jacob and Jasper and everything that should have been, but wouldn't be anymore.

**Sniff. Poor Alice. Well, you know the drill. Reviews are not mandatory for the next chapter. You'll probably get it tomorrow. Until then.**

**xoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212**


	12. Broken Trust

**Here's chapter 12.**

Chapter 12 – Broken Trust (Alice's POV)

After much debate, my parents decided that the sooner we told the Whitlocks, the better. So, the next morning, I found myself waiting in the Whitlock sitting room for Jasper and his parents. My parents sat on either side of me, as calm as I was nervous.

Jasper and his parents entered the room. Jasper's eyes lit up when he saw me. He made to come over and kiss me on the cheek, but something in the way I looked at made him rethink this. Instead, he settled down with his parents on the other side of the room.

"Whatever did you want to talk to us about?" Mr. Whitlock asked when we were all settled.

"I'm afraid we have some bad news," my father said. "We're going to have to end Jasper and Alice's engagement."

"What?!" The shocked outburst came from Jasper. He looked at me, trying to gain an explanation from my face. I turned away, tears welling up in my eyes.

"I'm afraid we don't understand," Mrs. Whitlock said. "Why must the engagement end?"

"Alice, would you like to explain?" my mother asked. Since the tears were constricting my throat, I shook my head no. "Very well. Dear?"

My father cleared his throat. "Many years ago, while we were still living in Mississippi, my wife and I had a close friend by the name of Billy Black," my father said. "Billy has a son about three years older than Alice. His name is Jacob. In their early days, Alice and Jacob were very close. My wife and I thought – and Billy agreed – that it would only be proper for them to be married. So we arranged the marriage. By her third birthday, Alice was betrothed. Half a year later, we moved out here, to Forks. We maintained a steady correspondence with the Blacks, knowing that Alice would be sent back to Mississippi to marry Jacob when the time was right. We informed both children when Alice was twelve and Jacob was fifteen. Both took the news incredibly well. Their relationship intensified over the next four years and all of the parents were confident that nothing could go wrong." My father paused and let out a sigh. "How wrong we were. Shortly before Alice's sixteenth birthday, she received a letter from Jacob telling her that he had been drafted into the Confederate Army. For many months he remained in training. All throughout his training, he maintained a steady correspondence with Alice. Then, about a year and a half ago, Alice received a letter saying that Jacob was dead. A divorce court ruled that Alice could remarry so long as Jacob was dead." I saw the understanding form on each Whitlock's face.

"So what you are trying to tell us is that Alice and Jasper can't get married because Alice's intended is alive and she has to marry him?" Mr. Whitlock said.

"We're afraid that's the case," my mother said. "We're very sorry."

"I guess we should work out how best to annul the marriage," Mr. Whitlock suggested.

"Very well," my father agreed.

"Do you need me and Alice for this, father?" Jasper asked.

"No," Mr. Whitlock said.

"Good. Alice, can I talk to you?" Numbly, I nodded. Rising, I followed Jasper until we were out of earshot of the sitting room, in the entrance hall. Once there, he turned and stared at me, his eyes full of anger. I dropped my eyes from his.

"Jasper, I know that you're mad at me, but…"

"Mad is only part of what I'm feeling right now," he said, his voice flat. I flinched.

"Listen Jasper, I can explain, really…"

"What if I don't want your explanation?" Jasper asked. "Alice, you betrayed me. If this was the first time, maybe I'd understand. This isn't the first time though. You've betrayed me before. And now you've done it again."

"I didn't mean to! I didn't want to betray you, Jasper!"

"You decide to marry another man, yet you didn't want or mean to betray me."

"This wasn't my choice," I screamed, tears pouring down my cheeks. "Do you think I wanted this? Do you think I wanted to have to give you up? I love you, Jasper. Not Jacob. You."

"Then why are you marrying him?"

"Didn't you hear me? This wasn't my choice. My parents made the decision for me. I was trying to fight it every step of the way. I don't want to marry him. I want to marry you."

"I wish I could believe you when you say that." Jasper turned his back on me.

"Jasper, please…" He half turned his head to look at me. I saw all the different emotions he felt reflected in his eyes. Hurt, pain, anger, betrayal. I dropped my head, knowing I was the cause. He turned his head and walked away without another word.

I flew to the door, wrenching it open. I stumbled outside and ran up to my carriage. The driver looked at me, shocked.

"Miss Brandon?" he said.

"Take me home," I said through my tears.

"Certainly. Are your parents coming?"

"No, they're not. At least, not yet."

"Shall we wait for them, then?"

"They won't be done for a while. Take me home."

"Shouldn't you wait for your parents, Miss Brandon?"

"They'll understand. Now take me home this instant."

"Miss Brandon…"

"That wasn't up for discussion," I said through gritted teeth. "Take me home right away or my parents shall hear about this."

"Y-yes Miss Brandon," he stammered. Without another word, he helped me into the carriage before swiftly drawing us away from the source of all my heartache and pain.

**Oof. I feel bad for Alice. Rosalie's up next. Hopefully things aren't so painful for her. Of course, I've already decided, but if you want to tell me what your opinion, I'd be happy to hear it. Love you all.**

**xoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212**


	13. Kings and Queens

**Hello again, my darling fans. I am dreadfully sorry that this latest update has taken a while; typing it up took longer than I thought. Now before I begin, some bad news. My school year has started. This means that I will be devoting a significant amount of time to homework, which means that I won't be able to update as frequently. Please bear with me. I apologize.**

**And with that... chapter 13!**

Chapter 13 – Kings and Queens (Rosalie's POV)

"Emmett, will you please tell me where we're going?" I asked.

"Not yet, Rosalie," Emmett replied. I sighed. For the last fifteen minutes Emmett and I had been sitting in his carriage, making our way towards town. All I knew was that we were going somewhere in town and that this somewhere involved a surprise for me. Aside from that, I was completely unsure of anything.

"Why won't you tell me, Emmett?" I said.

"I don't want to ruin the surprise, Rosalie," he answered. "I promise you it will be worth it." I sighed again.

Finally, we reached the edge of town. As we reached the first few homes and shops, Emmett bade the carriage driver to stop. For a moment, I thought that we were there and I was about to find out what Emmett's surprise was. Instead, Emmett pulled a piece of cloth from his pocket and tied it over my eyes, preventing me from seeing.

"Emmett, what are you doing?" I demanded.

"It's all part of the surprise, Rose," he said. "I don't want you to be able to see where we're going. It might ruin the surprise." Reluctantly, I settled back in my seat, blindfolded, as the carriage began to move. Five minutes later, we came to a stop.

"Are we there, Emmett?" I asked.

"Yes, we're here."

"Good." I reached up to my head to take off the blindfold, but Emmett grabbed my wrist.

"Not yet, Rose," he said. "Don't worry; I'll make sure you don't get hurt." Gently, he helped me out of the carriage and into a shop. As we entered, a bell chimed from somewhere above the door.

"Good day, Mr. McCarty," a male voice said. "Have you come to pick up your order?"

"Yes, actually, I have," Emmett replied.

"That's good," the voice said. "And here I thought you'd forgotten about it. I'll be right back with your order." Emmett and I waited in silence for a few minutes. "Here you are," the voice said.

"Excellent," Emmett said. "Okay, Rosalie, you can take the blindfold off." Eagerly, I reached up to the back of my head and undid the blindfold. I pulled it away from my eyes to reveal the jewelry shop. On the counter in front of us, nestled in a velvet case, was a necklace, a fine gold chain with a glass-spun rose attached. Emmett smiled. "Do you like it?" He gestured toward the necklace.

My breath caught in my throat. "This is… for me?" I asked, astonished.

"This is my surprise," Emmett said, the smile on his lips fading. "What's wrong; you don't like it?"

"No," I said. "I love it. It's…. it's beautiful. Thank you, Emmett." Emmett's smile returned. Gently, he lifted the necklace from the case and fastened it around my neck. The chain was long enough that the rose pendant could be hidden underneath the bodice of my dress. Gently, I slid it under, afraid that if it was out in the open, people would ask questions. Emmett saw me do this, and nodded, understanding.

We exited the jewelry shop and returned to the carriage. Once inside, I turned to Emmett. "Thank you again for the necklace, Emmett," I said.

"You're welcome, Rose," he replied. "So what would you like to do now?"

"I don't know," I said. "What would you like to do?"

"There's a horse race going on in an hour. Why don't we go?"

"I don't know…. I was never a big fan of horse racing."

"Please?" Emmett whined, pouting his lips and clasping his hands together in a childish manner.

"Oh, alright," I conceded gracefully.

"Yay!" Emmett cheered, bouncing up and down like a young boy. The carriage shook as he bounced.

"Emmett, stop that! You're shaking the carriage," I exclaimed.

"Sorry," Emmett said, as we pulled up by the race track. The carriage driver opened the door, and Emmett sprung from the carriage excitedly. "Come on, Rosalie," he said as he helped me out. "Let's go have some fun!" With that, he pulled me off towards the race track and the spectators' section.

**_After the race..._**

"I have to admit, that was fun, Emmett," I said during the ride back to my house.

"See? I told you you'd enjoy it," Emmett answered.

"I guess I should have believed you, correct?"

"Yes, you should have."

"Well, now I do," I said as the carriage pulled up in front of my house. "Thank you for a lovely day, Emmett. I'll see you soon." With that, I alighted from the carriage and made my way towards my house. I heard footsteps behind me, and turned. It was Emmett. "Yes, Emmett?"

"Your parents won't mind if I come in briefly to say hello, will they?"

"Of course not. My parents love you; they'd be thrilled to see you."

"Wonderful." Side by side, Emmett and I made our way up the steps and into the entrance hall, where we greeted by the butler.

"Oh, Miss Hale, you're home," he said. "Excellent. Your parents need you in the sitting room at once." Wordlessly, both Emmett and I turned and proceeded to the sitting room. Waiting for us were my parents along with three strangers: two men and a woman.

"There you are Rosalie," my mother said. "We were getting worried about you."

"I'm sorry mother," I said. "If I had known we were having company, I would have been home sooner."

"Actually, we weren't expecting company, dear," my mother replied.

"Then who are our guests?" I questioned.

"Oh, yes," my mother said. "Rosalie, this is…"

"May I make the introductions, Mrs. Hale?" the younger of the two men asked.

"You may."

"Rosalie, I would like to introduce you to my father, Royce King, and his wife, my mother, Mrs. King," the young man said.

"And you are?" I questioned.

"Royce King the Second," he answered. "Your fiancée."

**Uh-oh. Rosalie's in trouble. In more ways than one, too. Trust me, this is just the beginning of poor Rosalie's misfortune and bad luck. I should know, I'm writing this.**

**Remember what I said before!**

**xoxoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212**


	14. Restrictions

**Hi sweeties. Sorry I haven't updated in a while - school's been kinda crazy. Anywho, here's Chapter 14.**

**Just a quick note: a few times in this chapter you will see conversations that are written in italics and bolded italics. This means that it's going on inside the character's head. It's supposed to be them arguing with their conscience. Read the chapter - it will make sense, I promise.**

Chapter 14 – Restrictions (Rosalie's POV)

I stared at Royce. "My… fiancée?" I asked.

"That is correct," Royce said. "We are engaged. Soon, we will be married and you will be Rosalie King."

"Oh…" my voice trailed off. In the silence that followed, I heard the front door open and close. A swift peek out of the corner of my eye told me that Emmett had left. I paid it no mind; instead, I went and sat on one of the vacant couches in the sitting room. Royce followed me, sitting beside me.

The parents resumed their discussion of marriage plans. I immediately was distracted by the mystery of my fiancée's family name. It sounded so familiar, but I couldn't place it. Suddenly, I realized why I recognized the name King.

I stifled a gasp. Royce was a _King._ The Kings were _the_ richest family in all of Forks and their son wanted to marry _me._ I was going to be a King!

The sound of someone calling my name broke my reverie. "Rosalie?" my father said.

"Yes, father?" I answered.

"Before we make anymore wedding plans, we need to be sure that you've consented to the marriage. So, Rosalie, do you want to marry Royce?"

I opened my mouth to answer, then closed it, my mind working rapidly, thinking things through. I couldn't think of any negatives to marrying Royce; I would get everything my heart could desire and more. I'd be rich, a wanted woman; I'd have fabulous clothes and jewels and houses and servants to tend to my every whim. I'd be the envy of all of Forks. Nothing at all could be wrong with that.

_"What about Emmett?" _my conscience asked me.

_**"What about him?"**_ I replied in my head.

_"Don't you care about him? Don't you know what it will do to him if you marry someone else?"_

_**"Why should it matter to me? My happiness should come first, not his."**_

_"What can Royce give you that Emmett can't?"_

_**"Emmett's not a King."**_

_"And your happiness depends entirely on what family you marry into? Your happiness is totally dependant on whether your husband is a King or a McCarty?"_

_**"I've made my decision. **__**I'm marrying Royce."**_

_"That's fine. I just hope you know what the consequences of your decision are before it's too late."_

"Well, Rosalie?" my father prompted.

I didn't hesitate. "I'd be honored to be your wife, Royce. I accept your proposal."

"Very well," my father said. He turned back to the other parents and returned to the discussion of marriage plans.

"Come with me," Royce murmured. Obediently, I rose and followed him out of the room.

"Where are we going?" I asked Royce quietly as we left the room.

"Somewhere quiet so we can get to know each other better." I followed Royce outside to the back patio and over to a cluster of chairs. Royce picked a chair and sat down, gesturing to me to sit in the chair nearby. I sat down without delay.

"So, Rosalie…." Royce said once I was seated.

"Yes, Royce?" I replied.

"I was wondering…. who was that man you came in with before?"

_What an odd first question,_ I thought. "Do you mean Emmett?" I asked.

"Yes…Emmett." Royce paused, deep in thought. "Are you to close to each other?"

I thought about the night Emmett and I had met, about the afternoon playing croquet at his house, and about the necklace he had just given me this morning. The realization hit: Emmett was courting me. _Royce mustn't know,_ I thought. "No," I lied. "Our relationship never extended beyond friendship."

"I see…" Royce said, deep in thought once more.

"Royce…" I said.

Royce ignored me. "It's just friendship, nothing more," he said to himself. "Still, he could pose a potential threat. But what to do about him?"

"Excuse me?" I asked Royce, confused.

Royce didn't answer. "Yes," he said. "I suppose that's the only way."

"I'm afraid I don't understand," I said.

"Rosalie, dearest, words cannot describe how overjoyed I am at your acceptance of my proposal," Royce said. "Our impending marriage means so much to me and I would be devastated if something were to happen that could halt our wedding. Now I know that Emmett is simply a friend, but I just can't take the risk of another man coming into your life and ruining our engagement. So, Rosalie, as your husband, I'm afraid I must forbid you from remaining friends with Emmett."

_"I told you there would be consequences," _my conscience said.

"_**It's a small price to pay,"**_I replied.

_"Emmett's your friend! Not something you can trade in like a ware at a market!"_

I thought of all the moments Emmett and I had shared. _**"He was getting too involved. It's for the better."**_

_"How is ending your friendship for the better?"_

_**"It will keep him from getting any closer to me than he already is."**_

_"I thought that you wanted to be close to Emmett."_

_**"That was before."**_

_"Before what?"_

_**"Before I met Royce. Before I realized what my future holds."**_

_"So you're willing to give up your friends for material possessions you think will make you happy?"_

_**"I'm only giving up Emmett. I still have my other friends."**_

_"Your other friends can't give you what Emmett gave you."_

_**"I have Royce now. He can."**_

_"I hope you know what you're doing."_

_**"I do."**_

"Well, Rosalie?" Royce asked. "Are you going to end your friendship with Emmett?"

I took a deep breath. "I'll inform Emmett right away," I answered.

Royce smiled. "Wonderful," he said. He glanced around before continuing to speak. "I think we should return to our parents. Come," he ordered. Rising, I followed him back inside. We rejoined the adults and I was immediately lost in fantasies about my perfect life with Royce. Then something in the fantasies changed. Now Emmett stood beside me, instead of Royce. As I watched, the fantasy Emmett slowly reached his hand out to stroke my cheek. The closer his hand got, the more he faded into the darkness. Just as his hand was about to make contact, he faded entirely.

"No," I breathed in a whisper. But it was too late. The fantasy was gone, replaced by real life. Royce was at my side and our parents chattered away, happily planning our wedding. "No," I breathed again. Then everything went black.

**Gasp. Is Miss Stubbon having a change of heart? Keep reading and you'll find out.**

**xoxoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212**


	15. I Hope You're Happy Now

**Hello, darlings. I'm so sorry it's taken me so long, I've been very busy. Now before we begin, I would like to do something new. As my story grows ever so popular, I've noticed that I have a couple of steady fans who I feel need to be acknowledged for their support. So I would like to give a major shoutout to:**

**My beta, SporkFilledDeath345**

**guardgirl414**

**Sadistic pale one**

**TayuyaFluteofDeath**

**justanotherditzyredhead**

**Thanks so much to all of you for you undying support! I love you guys and all my other fans. Now then...**

**Ladies and gentlemen, I give you... Chapter 15!**

Chapter 15 – I Hope You're Happy Now (Rosalie's POV)

I awoke to a bright stream of sunlight coming through my window. I sat up, disoriented, trying to remember what had happened. I knew I had fainted, but I couldn't remember anything else. Suddenly, everything rushed back into my mind. I groaned, falling back onto my pillows and tugging my blankets over my head, willing it all to go away. Instead, the memory of my promise to Royce flooded my mind. I groaned again, threw aside the blankets, proceeded to get dressed, and headed towards Emmett's house.

As my carriage pulled up in front of Emmett's house, I began to have second doubts, but I pushed them out of my mind and proceeded ahead with my task. Determined, I walked up to the door of the house and knocked. The butler answered.

"Good morning, Miss," he said.

"Good morning," I answered. "Is Emmett home?"

"Yes, Mr. McCarty is at home."

"I need to speak with him immediately. Tell him Rosalie Hale is here to see him. He'll know who I am."

"Yes, Miss Hale." The butler disappeared. Within a few short minutes, Emmett appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Rosalie!" Emmett called upon seeing me. He raced down the stairs and came over towards me, opening his arms to embrace me. I took a step back and he dropped his arms, confused. "Rose," he said. "What's wrong?"

"First of all, Emmett, it is highly inappropriate to give a hug to an engaged woman," I told him. "And it is even more inappropriate to hug an engaged woman who is not a friend of yours or even an acquaintance."

"I'm sorry, Rosalie, it won't happen a…" Emmett paused. "What was the last thing you said?"

"I said that it is even more inappropriate to hug an engaged woman who is not your friend or acquaintance."

"I still don't understand. Are you trying to say we're not…?" Emmett's voice trailed off.

"Am I trying to say we're not friends?" I questioned. "Yes, Emmett, that is exactly what I am trying to say." Emmett started to laugh.

"You are not serious, are you?" he said through laughter. Then he noticed the expression on my face. The laughter stopped abruptly. "You're serious. You seriously are trying to tell me we can't be friends."

"Yes, Emmett. That is exactly what I am trying to tell you."

"This isn't funny, Rosalie."

"You think this is a joke? Well, it isn't. I'm being serious. Royce…"

"Of course," Emmett said, cutting me off. "I should have known Royce was involved."

"Don't you dare blame Royce," I told him. "He simply asked me to end our friendship. I'm the one who agreed."

"You agreed to this? You agreed to stop being friends with me? Why?"

"It's for the better, Emmett. I can't have you getting to close to me and ruining my marriage."

"I would never do that, Rosalie. All I want is for you to be happy."

"How do I know you really mean that? How do I know you aren't jealous of Royce and wouldn't try to ruin things for me and him out of jealousy?"

"Rosalie, you have my word that I would never, ever do that to you."

"Emmett, I can't believe that. I'm not blind, Emmett; I've seen the way you look at me, seen the things you do for me. You have feelings for me, Emmett. You've been courting me."

"Rosalie, I'm not going to deny either of those statements. Yes, I have feelings for you. Yes, I've been courting you."

"You see, Emmett? It's too dangerous. What if you let your feelings get the better of you? What if you try to ruin things for me and Royce?"

"Rosalie, why won't you believe me when I tell you that I would never try to ruin things for you and Royce?"

"I don't want to take the risk! What Royce and I have is special and neither of us wants something to happen that could ruin our engagement."

"Did Royce tell you to say this? Is this how you feel or how Royce feels?"

"Leave Royce out of this. This is between you and me. Royce isn't involved."

"Is Royce ending his friendship with all his female friends? Or is it only you who has to cease being friends with anyone of the opposite gender?"

"I thought I asked you to leave Royce out of this," I said through gritted teeth. "What is going on here is only between you and me, not you, me, and Royce."

"Don't you see what he's doing, Rosalie?" Emmett cried. "He's controlling you. He's telling you what to do and you're as good as letting him by not fighting back."

"Enough, Emmett," I said. "I'm sorry, but our friendship is over."

"What's so great about him, anyway?" Emmett asked me softly. "Why are you so adamant about marrying him?"

"He's a King," I answered. "He's rich. I'll be rich. I'll have everything I could want."

"That's it? Not because you love him and he loves you? Just because he's rich?" Emmett scoffed. "I knew it. I knew it all along."

"You knew what?" I answered.

"I knew that you were nothing but a vain, spoiled, pompous, arrogant brat." I gasped at his accusation. "I didn't want to believe it, but now I know it's true. Enjoy Royce. You two deserve each other." Without another word, Emmett left. I felt tears welling up in my eyes, but I refused to cry. Drying my eyes, I turned around and, chin held high, headed off towards my destiny without looking back.

**She still doesn't get it, does she? Oh, well, she'll come to her senses eventually.**

**xoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212**


	16. Through Thick and Thin

**Hello, darlings. So I know a number of you are probably mad at me over what I have done, i.e. breaking up Twlight's golden couples. But I promise this story is far from over and that everyone gets their happily ever after. I just can't tell you how. At least, not yet. For that, you have to keep reading. So to help you with that... here's Chapter 16.**

**A/N: Keep an eye out for POV changes. Otherwise, things will be very confusing. Trust me.**

**Disclaimer (since I haven't done one in a while): Stephenie Meyer owns all of this except for the servants, the horses, and the plotline. So basically, all she really owns is the characters. However, for this fact alone, I worship her.**

Chapter 16 – Through Thick and Thin (Rosalie's POV)

_**One week later….**_

It had been a week since my confrontation with Emmett. I still remembered the fight, but had put it behind me. I had decided that it didn't matter now; I was happy and that's what mattered. Plans had been steadily progressing for Royce and my wedding. Every time our families came together to discuss the plans, I nearly screamed with happiness. Everything was going perfectly; Royce and I were going to be married, I was going to be a King, I'd be rich. Still, something felt wrong, like something in my life was missing. Suddenly, it came to me. How long has it been since I last talked to Alice and Bella? I realized then that I hadn't told them about my engagement. I was shocked. What kind of friend am I? I needed to remedy this, fast. Inspiration hit me like a burst of lightening. I remembered our earlier days in the park, playing by the pond. One day, Alice had decided to hide behind one of the willow trees around the pond and ended up discovering a small clearing with a bench in it, surrounded by willow trees. No one knew it was there, so we had made it our little secret. Ever since that day, it had become the place we went when we needed each other. I knew it was wishful thinking to think that they would be there, but nonetheless I went to my carriage and proceeded to the park.

_Alice's POV_

The pain was unbearable. I felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest. Just thinking of him brought tears to my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I refused to seem weak, but it was hard. The connection I had with Jasper ran deeper than love. There was something more there. It felt like we were meant for each other, body and soul. It was like it was fate for us to be together. It felt so silly to believe in fate and destiny, but there was no other way for me to explain what there was between me and him. I felt sick. _Maybe talking to Rosalie and Bella will help,_ I thought. _But how will I know where they are?_ Suddenly, an idea hit me. I remembered our willow grove in the park by the pond. It seemed unlikely that they would be there, but maybe, just maybe, they would be. Hopefully, I went out to my carriage and headed to the park.

_Bella's POV_

One week. That's how long it's been since I had seen Edward and Tanya together and had ended things with him. Seven days. That's how long I've been moping around, crying myself to sleep every night, and waking up hating every day before it's even begun. I lived in a state of half awareness now; I ate and drank and spoke to people when they spoke to me, but I was empty, a shell. My reason for life had become Edward and now that I didn't have him anymore, I didn't feel like there was a reason to life. But I kept going, knowing that I would upset so many people if I were to end my life. My parents. Alice. Rosalie. Carlisle. Esme. Jessica. Lauren. Angela. My other friends. I just couldn't do this to them; it would tear them apart. _Maybe if I just talk to someone, let out all these feelings, things will get better,_ I thought. _Maybe Alice and Rosalie can help me get over him once and for all. Now, where could they be?_ I thought through all of our favorite spots throughout town, until I came across one idea that seemed logical. _What about our willow grove?_ I thought. _I doubt they'd be there, but it wouldn't hurt to try._ Determined, I got into my carriage and drove to the park.

The park was quiet when I reached it. There were a few people around, but not many. I made my way towards the willow trees at the edge of the pond. I reached our little grove and slipped in between the trees, making sure nobody saw me. I walked forward, through the hanging leaves, and gave a little start. Alice and Rosalie sat on the bench, Rosalie as joyous and happy as Alice and I were miserable and forlorn. I came over and sat next to them. For a while, nobody spoke. Finally, Rosalie broke the silence.

"I've never seen you two so miserable before," she said, concerned. "What happened?"

Alice looked at me. "Do you want to explain first, or should I?" she asked, her voice cracking from the pain she was in.

"Go ahead," I told her, my voice dead. She nodded before beginning.

"It all begins about a week ago, when Jasper came to my house to get my parents permission to marry me," Alice said.

"You're marrying Jasper?!" Rosalie shrieked.

"No," Alice said. "I'm not."

"But you just said he…" I began.

"That afternoon, after he left, I had a visitor," Alice continued. "His name was Jacob Black."

I gasped. "Jacob Black? Isn't that…?"

"My intended?" Alice asked. "Yes. The very same man. He's alive and well and here in Forks. It turns out he wasn't killed in the war after all. And now he's come here, to marry me. My parents decided that it was only right for me to marry Jacob, not Jasper. As you can imagine, Jasper didn't take the news very well. He was furious at me. He hates me now because, as he put it, I've betrayed his trust." Rosalie grit her teeth, her eyes glinting murderously. Tears began to slide down Alice's cheeks. She pulled out her handkerchief and began to dry them.

"Oh, Alice," I said. "I'm so sorry. I know exactly how you feel."

"You do?"

"Yes, I do," I said. "You see, Edward and I…. we got into a fight."

"What happened?" Alice asked.

"Well, like your story, mine begins a week ago, when Edward invited me on a picnic," I told them. "We went to this gorgeous meadow he had found and had a wonderful time. Midway through the picnic, he told me something."

"What did he tell you?" Rosalie asked.

I hesitated. "He told me he loves me," I answered finally.

"Oh, my gosh!" Alice and Rosalie screamed. "Tell us everything. Every little detail of what happened."

I ignored their request and continued with my story. "Naturally, I was ecstatic when I heard this. I was so, so happy. That night, I saw him. He was out walking with…." my voice broke. "With Tanya." Alice and Rosalie gasped. "I was furious. The next morning I sent him a letter telling him that what was between us was over. He came to my house to talk to me once he got it. It turns out he has feelings for her too. He…" I broke off, crying. Alice and Rosalie wrapped me in a hug.

"Ssh, Bella, it's okay," Alice cooed softly.

"Don't cry, Bella," Rosalie said. "Everything will be alright." After a few more minutes, I finally stopped. I smiled weakly at my friends.

"I'm sorry you had to witness that," I told them before changing the subject. "Rosalie, you never told us what has you so happy."

"Oh, right," Rosalie said. She paused, looking back and forth between our faces before blurting out, "I'm engaged."

"What?!" Alice and I shrieked. "You and Emmett are getting married?! Oh, my gosh!"

"Wait a second," Rosalie said. "Who said anything about Emmett?"

Alice and I both stared at her. "Wait…" Alice said. "You mean you're not engaged to Emmett?"

"Exactly," Rosalie said. "Emmett and I are not engaged."

"So who are you engaged to?" I asked her.

Rosalie paused again, looked back and forth between our faces, and blurted out, "Royce King the Second." Alice and I were silent. Rosalie looked at us, confused. "What's wrong, you two? Aren't you happy for me?"

"We're thrilled Rose, don't get us wrong," Alice began. "But are you sure this is what you want?"

"Of course this is what I want!" Rosalie said. "You do know what this means, don't you? I'm going to be a King. I'm going to be rich, the envy of every woman in this town. I'll have everything I could ever want to make me happy. It's perfect."

"What about Emmett?" I asked.

"What about him?" Rosalie replied without a hint of care in her voice.

"Well, how did he take the news?"

Rosalie sighed. "Not so well," she confessed. "You see, Royce is very concerned about our impending marriage, so he asked me to abstain from seeing Emmett any more. Emmett was so angry. He kept blaming Royce, even though I told him Royce just asked, while I actually agreed. Emmett actually went as far as to call me a vain, spoiled, pompous, arrogant brat." Alice and I stared at her in shock.

"He said that?!" Alice asked.

"Yes, he said that," Rosalie said. "But please don't go making a big deal out of it. It doesn't matter to me. Royce is my future, not him."

Alice and I exchanged a look. I opened my mouth to respond, but was silence by the leaves of the willows behind us rustling. "What was that?" I asked.

"Probably just the wind," Rosalie said.

"Uh, Rose, maybe you haven't noticed, but there's no wind out," Alice pointed out. "It's probably just an animal." The leaves rustled again and we could hear footsteps and voices talking to low for us to hear.

"Come on," I said. Hesitantly, the three of us rose and began making our way towards the trees. We had barely walked a few feet when the leaves parted and three men made their way into our clearing.

_Rosalie's POV_

The three men continued to walk into the clearing, unaware that we were standing there. Suddenly, they noticed us and stopped. I looked at them and realized that I was looking at Jasper and Edward. That must mean that….

There he was, staring at me with eyes so cold, I wanted to look away. I kept my chin up, meeting his eyes, never wavering. We continued to stare at each other like this, never wavering, for what seemed like eternity. I heard Edward mumble, "Er… sorry, we were just…um, we'll just go…"

"You can stay," I said coolly. "We were just leaving." Breaking my connection with Emmett, I started walking away, with Alice and Bella following beside me. Together, we brushed passed the boys and into the leafy ring around the clearing.

_Alice's POV_

I recognized the three men instantly as they came into the clearing. Instantly, my eyes searched out the only one I really wanted to see. There he was, as handsome as I remembered. Looking at him, I felt a strange rush of emotions. Love. Trust. Heartbreak. Remorse. Hurt. Pain. Caring. The three of them stopped walking, and Jasper looked at me. I tried to meet his eyes, but I couldn't. I turned away, wishing I could just go up to Jasper and hold on to him and tell him that everything would be okay and that it didn't matter to me what my parents wanted, all I wanted was to be with him. I stayed where I was, knowing that I couldn't act on my wants, both because it was unladylike to grovel like that, and because I couldn't do that, even if I wanted to; I had to obey my parents no matter what.

For a while, no one spoke. Then Edward mumbled, "Er… sorry, we were just… um, we'll just go…"

"You can stay," I heard Rosalie say. "We were just leaving." Wordlessly Bella and I fell in step beside her as we made our way from the clearing. As we passed the boys, I spared one last look at Jasper. He was watching me, his eyes a mix of emotions I couldn't understand. Our eyes met for the briefest second before Jasper looked away. I turned my head away from him and continued walking.

_Bella's POV_

The minute I saw the familiar bronze hair in the casual state of disarray, my heart began to beat faster. _No,_ I thought. _No. He can't be here. He just can't._ I looked at him, desperately hoping I had been wrong. My eyes locked onto emerald green ones and I knew it was him. No one else had the power to make me feel as confused as I did now, looking into his eyes, and not knowing what he saw. Did he see the jealous girl who had stopped being friends with him? Or did he see the girl he still loved? I felt myself falling to pieces as I stared into his eyes, and I looked away, watching him out of the corner of my eye. He turned his head away, and mumbled, "Er… sorry, we were just…um, we'll just go…"

I couldn't tell if he was talking to me or to all three of us. I opened my mouth to respond, but Rosalie cut me off. "You can stay," she said. "We were just leaving." Alice and I walked over towards her, smoothly merging into a line. We passed the boys as we left the clearing, and I couldn't resist the urge to look at Edward one last time. He was watching me, pain radiating from all of his face. It hurt so much to look at. The last thing I wanted was for him to be in pain. I turned away as we slipped among the willow leaves, two tears slipping down my cheeks. I quickly pulled my handkerchief from my pocket and dried my tears for fear Alice and Rosalie would see me crying.

The three of us emerged from the leaves and wordlessly proceeded to our carriages. As we were each about to get in to our respective carriage, I found my voice. "Will you to be at the Cullen's masquerade ball this weekend?" I asked them.

Alice sighed. "Yes," she said. "My parents insisted Jacob and I go together."

"I'll be there with Royce," Rosalie said. "We were planning to go public with the engagement at the ball." I nodded, a faint smile on my lips. With that, we each got in our carriage and went our separate ways.

**So who thinks that all hell will break lose at the masquerade ball? Well, if you keep reading, you'll find out! Please review.**

**xoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212**


	17. Behind the Mask

**I cannot apologize enough for the delay. Part of it is my fault, part of it is out of my control. I wanted to make this chapter extra awesome, so it took a while. I've also had a lot of schoolwork, plus endless holidays (I'm Jewish) and my grandmother died. I promise to make it up to you all, though, which is why this weekend you will be getting not one, but two - count 'em, two - updates, both 11 pages long. Do I love you guys or do I love you guys?**

**Also, before we begin, I would like to give a shoutout to everyone who has written a review, favorited my story or me, and put alerts on my story or me. This story is for you guys and I couldn't be happier to hear that you are enjoying it. Also, a shoutout to my beta, SporkFilledDeath345, for catching the mistakes I'm too unobservant to catch myself, and to TayuyaFluteofDeath, for just generally being super supportive and making me laugh with your reviews. I love you both!**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Just the plot. And Marie. And Jonathan. And Augustus. And the horses. And Rosalie's unnamed butler.**

Chapter 17 – Behind the Mask (Bella's POV)

I cautiously climbed up the stairs to the Cullen's house, the full skirt of my ivory and gold dress swishing and swaying with every step. I sighed. Alice and Rosalie had insisted on dressing me for the ball. They had searched my closet for hours, finally deciding on the dress I wore. It was ivory, with a basic rounded neckline trimmed with gold. The sleeves were long and tight, with small triangles edged in gold over the backs of my hands. The bodice was tight too; the majority of the front was gold while the back and part of the front were ivory. The gold of the bodice ended in a point just after the full skirt began. The skirt itself was ivory with a gold trim around the bottom and gold vine design that got sparser as it went up. My mask was a half-face mask in ivory with gold sparkles, gold sequins around the edges and eyeholes, and gold feathers at the point on each side. It tied with gold ribbons at the back of my head. Rose quartz hung from my earlobes and my throat. My hair hung freely down my back and I wore no makeup. Alice and Rosalie thought I looked gorgeous, and I had agreed.

As I entered the ballroom, I was ambushed by two masked females. They dragged me across the ballroom towards one of the alcoves off of it. "Oh, Bella, thank goodness you're here," one girl cried, a brunette in a periwinkle blue dress and a metal mask of periwinkle blue closer to her nose, progressively darkening until it turned sapphire blue at the ends. Sapphires hung from her ears and throat to match. I could tell instantly it was Alice.

"Why, what's going on?" I asked as we moved through the crowd.

"Not in public," the second girl, a blond in a violet dress and a violet and silver mask with amethysts on silver chains at her earlobes and throat, cautioned. I saw the violet eyes flashing through the eyeholes and knew it was Rosalie. "Wait until we're alone." Reaching a small alcove, Rosalie pulled us inside, making sure we were out of sight and wouldn't be overheard. "Masks off," she ordered. I reached up and undid the gold ribbons, pulling my mask away from my head. Alice undid the thin sapphire ribbons holding up her mask and pulled it aside, as did Rosalie; she reached behind her head, undid the silver ribbons supporting her mask and pulled it away from her face.

"Now then," I said. "What's going on here? Why are you two so scared?"

Neither girl spoke. Finally, Alice said, "They're here."

"They who?" I asked, even though I knew the answer.

"Edward, Jasper, and Emmett," Rosalie replied.

"How do you know?" I asked. "Everyone's wearing a mask."

"Carlisle and Esme told us," Alice said. "The fact that this is a masquerade ball just makes things more difficult. We won't know who's who behind the mask. Any of the guys here could be them."

"We just have to be careful and stay together no matter what," I told them.

"Bella, I don't think that will work," Rosalie commented. "If anything, that will just give us away, and I don't think that that's the smartest idea."

"Good point, Rose," Alice said. "Actually, it may be a good thing that you and I are attending this ball with our fiancés. That will keep us apart, which will keep them away from us since they won't know who we are."

"Good thinking, Alice," I told her.

"I agree," Rosalie said. "Now, then, we probably should get back to the ball before people start wondering where we are and the whole plan is ruined."

"Definitely," I said. "Should we all go in at once, or one at a time?"

"All at the same time, but keep apart and don't acknowledge each other," Alice said. "It's less suspicious." Rosalie and I nodded in agreement.

"We should put our masks back on," I said. One by one, we helped each other retie the ribbons that held our masks over our faces. Once my mask was secure, I turned to them. "How do I look?"

"You look beautiful, Bella," Alice said. Rosalie nodded in agreement. "How Edward could be so stupid as to do what he did… I don't know." I tried to ignore the wound Alice's comments had opened, but it was hard.

"Thanks, you two," I said. "You both look beautiful too. Jacob and Royce are two lucky men." Rosalie smiled at the mention of her fiancée while Alice grimaced.

"Come on," Rosalie said. Without hesitation, we left the alcove side by side. As we neared the ballroom, we widen the space between each of us and staggered our line, pretending not to notice the other two. We merged back into the party and went our separate ways without being noticed.

_Rosalie's POV_

Alice, Bella, and I exited the alcove where we had been talking and split off from each other. I had barely gotten a few steps away when a young man in a dashing navy blue suit and mask stepped up to me. "Would you care to dance, Miss?" he asked me.

I was about to decline his offer when I noticed the two flowers pinned to his lapel. It was a violet and a rose, side by side. Instantly, I knew what they were and who this was. "I would love to dance with you, Royce," I said sweetly.

Royce moved closer to me and put his hand on my waist. I braced my hand on his shoulder. "How did you know it was me?" he whispered in my ear.

"The flowers," I murmured back. "You told me you would have a rose and a violet pinned to your lapel so I would know it was you."

"So I did," he said. "So I did." He offered me his arm and I took it. We swept out onto the dance floor and began to dance.

"How did you know it was me?" I asked as we danced.

"Your eyes," Royce answered. "Your eyes that sparkle like violets. No other girl has eyes like yours, so I knew it must be you. Nor is any girl here as beautiful as you are."

"I'm flattered, Royce." Royce and I danced the next few dances together before I excused myself to go get a drink. I floated through the room, stopping to socialize with people I knew, even through their masks. Time passed quickly and soon it was a half hour until midnight. A half hour until the unmasking.

I stood talking to Lauren when a man came over to me. "Excuse me, Miss, would you care to dance?" he said to me. I considered saying no, but then I thought _one dance won't hurt. I'm simply being polite and sociable._

"I would care to dance," I answered. He took my hand and led me out to the dance floor. He took me in his arms and we began to dance. There was something familiar about the way it felt to be in his arms, but I couldn't understand why. I looked up at his face, trying to figure out who he was, but his mask made it impossible. I sighed.

"What's wrong?" he asked me.

"Who are you?" I asked in reply.

"A friend," he answered. _A friend?_ I thought. _What an odd answer. Though maybe that's what I need right now. Someone to talk to, someone who will listen. Someone like Alice or Bella or… or Emmett._ At that, I felt my carefully construed façade collapse. Tears began to fall down my face, sliding out from under my mask.

"What's wrong?" the masked man asked, seeing my tears. "Are you alright?"

"No," I said through my tears. "I'm not alright."

"What happened?" he asked. "Why are you so upset?"

"I made a mistake," I said. "I hurt someone I really care about badly and I'm afraid they'll never forgive me."

"I don't understand."

"There was this gentleman. We met at a previous party of the Cullens. We became friends and eventually stronger feelings got involved. He started courting me, but I became engaged to another man, who made me end things with this gentleman. At first, it didn't bother me. He was hurt, but I didn't care. Now I've realized how foolish I was. This man meant so, so much to me, and I ruined things. Now the damage is done. He hates me and nothing I say to him – saying I'm sorry or telling him that I care about him – will ever change that."

"I don't mean to be rude, but I think you're wrong," the masked man told me. "I think if you told him you were sorry and that you care about him, he would forgive you."

"How can you know that for sure?" I asked him.

The masked man disregarded my question. "There was something else you were wrong about. He doesn't hate you. He could never hate you because he loves you too much to hate you. He's loved you from the first moment he met you and he still loves you now. He's just waiting for you to realize that you love him too."

"How do you know this?" I repeated my question as the midnight bells began to chime. All around us, people were unmasking. The masked man met my eyes. Slowly, he reached for the ribbons holding up my mask. Gently, he untied them and pulled my mask away from my face. He handed it to me, never breaking our connection.

"How do I know this?" he murmured to me. Slowly, he undid the ties holding up his own mask and began to take it off, his eyes never leaving mine. He pulled it away from his face and I gasped.

Involuntarily, I took a step back, shocked. "Emmett?" I whispered. He took a step closer to me and I took another step back.

"Rosalie…" Emmett said, moving closer to me again.

"No…." I said, turning and running away.

"Rosalie!" Emmett called after me. I kept running, thankful that I had thought to come separate from Royce. As I raced from the ballroom I collided with someone. I saw the flowers on his lapel before I saw his face.

"Rosalie, dearest, wherever are you going?" Royce asked.

"I… I don't feel well," I lied. "I'm going home."

"Do you think you can wait a few minutes, sweetheart? It's almost time for us to announce our engagement."

"I don't think I can wait. Besides, the newspaper is running the announcement tomorrow. We can wait a few more hours, can't we?"

"Well, alright," Royce said. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, stay and enjoy yourself," I said. "I'll be fine."

"If that's what you want, Rosalie, I'll stay." Royce kissed me on the cheek. "Feel better, sweetheart." With that, Royce disappeared back into the party. As he went, I saw Emmett frantically searching the crowd. Desperate not to be seen, I hurried away. I got into my carriage and sped away, lost in thought.

_Alice's POV_

Bella, Rosalie, and I exited the alcove, pretending not to know each other. We each swept off into the crowd. I found Jessica and began to talk with her. After a little while, I excused myself and began wandering around the ballroom. After a few minutes, a masked gentleman with russet colored skin stopped me.

"I've been looking for you," he said. He leaned in closer so I could see his black eyes through his mask, the eyes of my betrothed. "Where did you disappear to?"

"I needed to speak to some friends," I said, careful not to give names for fear that one of the boys was nearby and would know it was me.

Jacob nodded. "Come dance," he bade me. We swept out onto the dance floor and began to dance. The hours ticked by slowly and soon it was a half hour until unmasking. The musicians struck up a new dance, one that required us to change partners halfway through. When it reached that point, Jacob let go of me and went to a new girl. I stood and waited for another gentleman to ask me to dance.

A blonde man in a silvery-gray suit and mask came over to me. "May I?" he asked, extending his hand.

"You may." I took his hand and we began to dance. I looked up at him as we spun around the room. Even though I couldn't see his eyes, I felt an aura of trust running between the two of us. I remembered the last time I had met a man in this room who I thought I could trust. Tears began to trickle down my cheeks as I thought of him.

The masked man noticed my tears. "Why are you crying?" he asked me.

"I'm sorry," I told him. "I was just remembering an old friend of mine. We're… we're no longer friends and I miss him so, so much."

"What happened?"

"Well, when I was younger, I was betrothed to the son of good friends of my parents, but the son died fighting in the Civil War. I got engaged to this friend of mine, only to find out that my betrothed was still alive. Now I have to marry him, and my friend is mad at me for betraying his trust."

"Do you love your betrothed?" the masked man asked me.

"Once upon a time I did," I told him. "But now, now I'm not so sure I do."

"So if you don't love him, do you love someone else?"

I thought about this for a moment. Was it possible that, even after what happened and what had been said, I still loved Jasper? Had I ever stopped loving him? "I think I love him. My friend."

"Does he know you love him?"

"I know he knows, but I don't think it matters to him anymore. When we had to end the engagement, I tried to convince him that I was against my parents' decision and that I still loved him, but he wouldn't listen."

"If he knows, wouldn't it matter to him?"

"Why would it? He doesn't love me anymore. My feelings are irrelevant."

"You're wrong," he told me. "He still loves you." Silence filled the air around us and the midnight bells began to chime.

"Are… are you sure?" I asked. Slowly, the masked man undid the ribbons holding my mask and pulled it away.

"I'm sure," he told me as he began to untie his mask. "I may not know everything, Alice, but one thing I do know," he pulled off his mask. "Is my heart." I gasped as I stared up into Jasper's navy blue eyes.

I stood there, frozen, for what felt like an eternity. All around us people were moving, laughing, socializing, but I couldn't. For me, none of it existed. All that existed was Jasper. Slowly, I reached my hand out and stroked his cheek. Gently, Jasper reached up and took my hand, holding it tightly in his. He pulled our interlocked hands away from his face,but smiled at me reassuringly, as if worried I would look at things from the wrong angle. Our fingers laced together and he squeezed my hand reassuringly. I squeezed back.

"Alice!" a familiar husky voice called from near by. I wretched my fingers from Jasper's and spun around, coming face to face with Jacob. If he had witnessed the exchange between me and Jasper, his face betrayed nothing. "There you are," he said. "I've been looking for you. It's getting late, you should probably get home." Reluctantly, I followed him out to our carriage and away from Jasper.

_Bella's POV_

As soon as Alice, Rosalie, and I split off, I trailed through the crowd, pausing only to talk to people I could recognize through the masks. I ended up talking to several of our friends: Leah and her brother Seth, Victoria and her fiancé James, Emily and her fiancé Sam, Kim and her fiancé Jared, Rachel and her fiancé Paul, Claire and her fiancé Quil. As I walked, I also thought I saw several of the gentlemen whom Carlisle and Esme had introduced to us in the hopes of us getting married. At one point, I passed a trio of men who looked like they were Riley, Embry, and Laurent, three of Carlisle and Esme's more recent attempts. I drifted over to talk to them and found out I was right. I enjoyed a lively conversation with them, laughing about the good times at Cullen parties past. More than once, I caught Laurent looking at me, turning away when he knew he'd been caught, only to start watching me again when he thought I didn't notice. I vaguely remembered Alice and Rosalie trying to convince me that Laurent had taken a fancy to me after that first meeting; suddenly, I thought they might be right.

The conversation between the four of us began to wind down about an hour before unmasking. Laurent seized the opportunity at once.

"Would you like to dance, Isabella?" he asked, his slight French accent pronounced.

"I would, Laurent, but only one dance," I replied. We swept onto the dance floor and were immediately caught up in the lively music. Laurent tried to make small talk, to keep me entertained and by his side, but to no avail. When the dance ended, I promptly stepped free of his grasp.

Laurent caught my hand and brought it to his lips, kissing my fingertips. "Thank you for honoring me with a dance, Isabella," he said.

"You're welcome, Laurent," I said. With that, I left him and went to find my other friends. I spotted my friends Irina, Kate, Garrett, Carmen, and Eleazar a little ways away, talking. _Maybe I should talk to Irina and Kate about their sister,_ I thought. _Maybe they can give me some advice. Garrett may also be able to put in a word or two of advice, since he's engaged to Kate. Carmen and Eleazar too; they're close to them. _I began making my way towards them, only to spot a sixth figure among their midst. I recognized the curly strawberry-blond hair instantly. It was Tanya. I looked for a seventh figure, a bronze-haired man, but saw none by Tanya's side. I found it odd that Edward was not with Tanya, but did not dwell on it. Instead, I turned and began looking for someone else to talk to. I so desperately wanted to talk to Irina and Kate and Garrett and Carmen and Eleazar, but not if Tanya was around. Instead, I found Angela and began talking to her. After a while, she excused herself and left. I made my way over to one of the vacant couches around the room and sat down, careful not to ruin my appearance. I glanced at the clock. 11:15. Forty-five more minutes until the unmasking. I sighed.

Fifteen minutes later, a young gentleman came over to me. He had bronze colored hair and pale skin, emphasized by his black suit and mask. The hair sent me into a frenzy. There was only one guy I knew with hair that color and that was….

_Don't be silly,_ I told myself. _Just because he has the same colored hair doesn't mean it's automatically him._

The masked man interrupted my thoughts. "Excuse me, Miss, would you care dance?" he asked me, holding out his hand.

"As a matter of fact, I would." I took his hand and he helped me to my feet. Hand in hand, we swept onto the dance floor and began to dance. For a while we were silent. Suddenly, I felt my foot catch on the end of my skirt and I stumbled; thankfully, I didn't ruin the dress. The masked man tightened his grip around my waist to make sure I wasn't hurt.

"Are you alright?" he asked me. He sounded so concerned, so intent on making sure I was okay, just like Edward had…

The tears started to fall as I thought of Edward. I turned my head away, hoping he wouldn't notice, but he did.

"What's wrong?" he asked me.

"It's nothing," I said.

"Please tell me," he begged. "I won't judge you. I would never judge anyone. I can't stand seeing you hurt."

"How about I tell you a story."

"I'm listening."

I hesitated. "Once upon a time, there was a princess," I began. "One night, the princess went to a ball. At this ball, she met a prince. There was an immediate attraction between the prince and the princess. The prince saved the princess from a rowdy courtier. The princess was thankful. Slowly, the prince and the princess started to fall in love. The prince began courting the princess. One day, he told her he loves her and she said it too. The princess was so happy, until she saw the prince out walking with one of the ladies of the court. The princess was so angry that she told the prince that she didn't want to ever see him again. They got into a fight and the prince confessed to having feelings for the lady. The princess was hurt and told the prince to leave. He left, and the princess was devastated. She talked to two of her ladies, but the wound was still there." I stopped.

"How does the story end?" he asked me.

"I… I don't know," I confessed. "It doesn't have an ending yet."

"Well, why don't I give it one?" he suggested. I nodded. He thought for a long moment before beginning. "The prince was deeply hurt by what had happened between him and the princess and he vowed to fix things. He waited and waited for the right moment to approach the princess and apologize to her for what he had done. Finally, opportunity presented itself in the form of a masquerade ball. He plotted and planned to make sure that he would get the chance he needed. At the masquerade ball, he tried all night to find the confidence to find the princess and apologize to her. Finally, he found the confidence. He went to find her and told her he was sorry." I looked up and found the masked man staring at me passionately.

"Wh…what did she say?" I whispered, my voice barely hearable over the chimes of the bells.

Slowly, he undid my mask and pulled it away from my face. "Why don't you tell me what she says, Isabella," he asked me quietly.

"She… she would want to know if the prince was truly sorry for what he did," I said.

"And if he was?"

"If he was, then she would forgive him."

"And what about this princess?" He took my hand. "Would you forgive your prince if he apologized?"

The answer was on my tongue before I could even think. "Yes," I whispered.

"Good," the masked man said. "That's all I needed to hear." Without letting go of my hand, he undid his mask and pulled it away from his face. I gasped. "Hello, Isabella," he murmured.

I tried to pull away, but Edward's strong grip on my hand made it impossible. "Edward…" I said, my voice strangled.

Edward pulled me closer to him. "Bella…" he whispered. Just then, a mass of pale blue silk appeared and wrapped itself around Edward. Tanya.

"There you are, Eddiekins," she cooed, locking her arms around his neck. "I've been looking all over for you."

"Tanya…" Edward said in a growl. He didn't remove her arms from around his neck.

"Come dance, sweetie," Tanya said. Then she noticed me. "Eddiekins, who is this?" she said, the smile on her face being replaced by a frown.

"This is Isabella Swan," Edward said. "She's a friend of mine."

"It's nice to meet you, Isabel," Tanya said.

"It's Isabella," I corrected through gritted teeth.

She ignored me. "Eddiekins, let's dance," she said to Edward. She tried to pull Edward to the dance floor, but he resisted. "What's wrong, sweetie? Don't you want to dance with your sweetheart?"

The word "sweetheart" was like a slap in the face. "So she's your sweetheart, Edward?" I asked, my voice quiet and deadly.

"No, Bella, it's not like that," Edward said.

"So what is it like then?" I asked.

"I can explain, Bella, just give me a chance," he begged.

"I've given you enough chances Edward," I said.

"Bella, please, just let me explain," Edward said.

"I'm sorry Edward, but I can't. I just can't," I said.

"Bella, please, I care about you, only you, I really do," he begged.

"Goodbye Edward," I said as I turned away from him and Tanya and began to make my way through the crowd.

"Bella, wait!" I heard him yell after me, but I didn't stop. "Bella!" I kept walking until I was out of the ballroom and in the entrance hall. I paused, debating what to do now. Suddenly, I heard footsteps behind me and someone calling my name. "Bella!" they yelled. Edward. I turned around, furious.

"What do you want, Edward?" I snapped.

"I want to apologize," he told me.

"I already told you that I can't let you apologize," I said.

Edward moved closer to me so we were inches apart. "Why can't you, Bella?"

"I… I just can't," I said, my resolve weakening.

"You're fighting what is meant to be, Bella," He said to me softly. "We belong to each other. Surely you've seen that this is so." I nodded. "Then why are you fighting it?"

"I… I don't know," I confessed.

"Don't fight it, Bella," he whispered. "Give in to your heart." He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. Without thinking, I leaned my head on his chest. We stood like this for a few moments, then I felt a pressure on the top of my head. Edward's lips. Something inside of me snapped and I jerked away, out of Edward's arms. Edward looked at me, shocked. "Bella…" he said.

"I can't do this, Edward," I said, my voice choked. "I'm sorry."

"Bella…" Edward reached for me. I pulled away again and turned and ran outside, towards my carriage and away from Edward. I listened for footsteps behind me, but heard none. I raced outside and up to my carriage.

"Take me home," I ordered the driver. Immediately, I was in and we were driving away. I allowed myself one last look at the Cullens' house as we drove away. Edward stood at the top of the stairs, watching my carriage, pain etched across his face. Then we rounded the corner and vision slipped away into darkness.

**Ouch. Poor Bella. And Alice. And Rosalie. And Edward. And Jasper. And Emmett. Don't worry, things will get better soon. I promise.**

**xoxoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212**


	18. More Than Meets the Eye

**Here it is... the second 11 page update I promised you. Now, two quick things before we begin:**

**First, I just took a look at the review count... we've hit 50!! I'm really happy about this, don't get me wrong, and I would like to thank all my reviewers, but I know we can do better than this, especially since some of my reviewers have given me more than 5 hits and a few of you anywhere from 2-5. Come on all you people who've favorited/alerted me and my story. Write reviews! I want to hear what you think. I love your opinions. I don't bite! And don't think I don't know your pennames, cause I do. So review! Don't make me hunt each of you down individually!**

**Secondly, a quick A/N before we begin: this chapter consists of a few flashbacks to chapter 17 each taken from a different girl's perspective. I've written next to each point it says "flashback" who's POV it is, just so you don't get confused. If you remember the last chapter well enough, feel free to skip over them; I just thought the flashbacks seemed better than long winding monolouges to explain everything.**

**Disclaimer: I'm not Stephenie Meyer, but I wish I was. If I was Stephenie Meyer, every one of my fans would currently be driving a Porsche 911 Turbo, as per her wish in the acknowledgments of _Eclipse._ (I swear it's there. Look at the very last of the acknowledgements on the second page of them in _Eclipse _and you'll see that it's right there in black and white. Seriously.)**

Chapter 18 – More Than Meets the Eye (Bella's POV)

I pushed my way through the willow leaves and into the clearing. Thankfully, it was empty. I walked over to the bench and sat down. Just then, Alice came into the clearing. Like me, her eyes swept the clearing, making sure that nobody else was here. She saw me and stopped sweeping the area. "It's safe," she called to an unseen person behind her.

"Good," they said. I recognized Rosalie's voice. Alice started towards me, Rosalie on her heels. They reached the bench and sat down in silence. For a while, no one spoke. Finally, Rosalie said, "I'm…. confused."

"Why?" I asked her.

She looked back and forth between Alice and me. "Did I make the right choice?" she asked finally.

Alice and I stared at her. "I thought you said you were happy to be marrying Royce," Alice said.

"I thought I was," Rosalie said. "But after last night, I'm not so sure anymore."

"What exactly happened?" I asked her.

"Well…." Rosalie began.

_Flashback (from Rosalie's POV)_

_I stood talking to Lauren when a man came over to me. "Excuse me, Miss, would you care to dance?" he said to me. I considered saying no, but then I thought _one dance won't hurt. I'm simply being polite and sociable.

_"I would care to dance," I answered. He took my hand and led me out to the dance floor. He took me in his arms and we began to dance. There was something familiar about the way it felt to be in his arms, but I couldn't understand why. I looked up at his face, trying to figure out who he was, but his mask made it impossible. I sighed._

_"What's wrong?" he asked me._

_"Who are you?" I asked in reply._

_"A friend," he answered. _A friend?_ I thought. _What an odd answer. Though maybe that's what I need right now. Someone to talk to, someone who will listen. Someone like Alice or Bella or… or Emmett._ At that, I felt my carefully construed façade collapse. Tears began to fall down my face, sliding out from under my mask._

_"What's wrong?" the masked man asked, seeing my tears. "Are you alright?"_

_"No," I said through my tears. "I'm not alright."_

_"What happened?" he asked. "Why are you so upset?"_

_"I made a mistake," I said. "I hurt someone I really care about badly and I'm afraid they'll never forgive me."_

_"I don't understand."_

_"There was this gentleman. We met at a previous party of the Cullens. We became friends and eventually stronger feelings got involved. He started courting me, but I became engaged to another man, who made me end things with this gentleman. At first, it didn't bother me. He was hurt, but I didn't care. Now I've realized how foolish I was. This man meant so, so much to me, and I ruined things. Now the damage is done. He hates me and nothing I say to him – saying I'm sorry or telling him that I care about him – will ever change that."_

_"I don't mean to be rude, but I think you're wrong," the masked man told me. "I think if you told him you were sorry and that you care about him, he would forgive you."_

_"How can you know that for sure?" I asked him._

_The masked man disregarded my question. "There was something else you were wrong about. He doesn't hate you. He could never hate you because he loves you too much to hate you. He's loved you from the first moment he met you and he still loves you now. He's just waiting for you to realize that you love him too."_

_"How do you know this?" I repeated my question as the midnight bells began to chime. All around us, people were unmasking. The masked man met my eyes. Slowly, he reached for the ribbons holding up my mask. Gently, he untied them and pulled my mask away from my face. He handed it to me, never breaking our connection._

_"How do I know this?" he murmured to me. Slowly, he undid the ties holding up his own mask and began to take it off, his eyes never leaving mine. He pulled it away from his face and I gasped._

_Involuntarily, I took a step back, shocked. "Emmett?" I whispered. He took a step closer to me and I took another step back._

_"Rosalie…" Emmett said, moving closer to me again._

_"No…." I said, turning and running away._

_"Rosalie!"_

_End flashback_

Alice and I stared wordlessly at Rosalie. "I shouldn't have run away from him, should I?" she asked. Speechless, we nodded our heads. "That's what I thought. He just… he just caught me off guard; I didn't know what to do, I…" She stopped. "I've been an idiot, haven't I?"

"It's about time you came to your senses," I joked. Rosalie glared at me. "But seriously, maybe it's not too late. Maybe you can still fix things."

"How?" Rosalie wailed.

"We can't tell you that," Alice said. "We don't know any better than you do. You'll have to figure this out by yourself."

Rosalie sighed. "I guess I have no other choice," she said. Then she changed the subject. "What about you two? How were your nights?"

"Confusing is a good way to describe it," Alice said.

"Why?" Rosalie asked.

"Jasper found me last night."

_Flashback (from Alice's POV)_

_A blonde man in a silvery-gray suit and mask came over to me. "May I?" he asked, extending his hand._

_"You may." I took his hand and we began to dance. I looked up at him as we spun around the room. Even though I couldn't see his eyes, I felt an aura of trust running between the two of us. I remembered the last time I had met a man in this room who I thought I could trust. Tears began to trickle down my cheeks as I thought of him._

_The masked man noticed my tears. "Why are you crying?" he asked me._

_"I'm sorry," I told him. "I was just remembering an old friend of mine. We're… we're no longer friends and I miss him so, so much."_

_"What happened?"_

_"Well, when I was younger, I was betrothed to the son of good friends of my parents, but the son died fighting in the Civil War. I got engaged to this friend of mine, only to find out that my betrothed was still alive. Now I have to marry him, and my friend is mad at me for betraying his trust."_

_"Do you love your betrothed?" the masked man asked me._

_"Once upon a time I did," I told him. "But now, now I'm not so sure I do."_

_"So if you don't love him, do you love someone else?"_

_I thought about this for a moment. Was it possible that, even after what happened and what had been said, I still loved Jasper? Had I ever stopped loving him? "I think I love him. My friend."_

_"Does he know you love him?"_

_"I know he knows, but I don't think it matters to him anymore. When we had to end the engagement, I tried to convince him that I was against my parents' decision and that I still loved him, but he wouldn't listen."_

_"If he knows, wouldn't it matter to him?"_

_"Why would it? He doesn't love me anymore. My feelings are irrelevant."_

_"You're wrong," he told me. "He still loves you." Silence filled the air around us and the midnight bells began to chime._

_"Are… are you sure?" I asked. Slowly, the masked man undid the ribbons holding my mask and pulled it away._

_"I'm sure," he told me as he began to untie his mask. "I may not know everything, Alice, but one thing I do know," he pulled off his mask. "Is my heart." I gasped as I stared up into Jasper's navy blue eyes._

_I stood there, frozen, for what felt like an eternity. All around us people were moving, laughing, socializing, but I couldn't. For me, none of it existed. All that existed was Jasper. Slowly, I reached my hand out and stroked his cheek. Gently, Jasper reached up and took my hand, holding it tightly in his. He pulled our interlocked hands away from his face, but smiled at me reassuringly, as if worried I would look at things from the wrong angle. Our fingers laced together and he squeezed my hand reassuringly. I squeezed back._

_"Alice!" a familiar husky voice called from near by. I wretched my fingers from Jasper's and spun around, coming face to face with Jacob. If he had witnessed the exchange between me and Jasper, his face betrayed nothing. "There you are," he said. "I've been looking for you. It's getting late, you should probably get home." Reluctantly, I followed him out to our carriage and away from Jasper._

_End flashback_

My mouth dropped open in shock. I looked over at Rosalie and saw that her mouth was hanging open too. "Did…. did we hear you correctly?" Rosalie asked. "Did Alice Brandon actually disregard her parents?"

Alice turned away from us and buried her face in her hands. "I didn't mean to," she said. "It just happened. I can't explain it. Something about him…. about Jasper…."

"You love him, don't you Alice?" I asked her. "It's written all over your face. You love Jasper."

Alice hesitated. "I do," she whispered finally. Then she spoke louder, "I love him. I love Jasper Whitlock!" Then her face fell. "But what good does it do? I'm marrying Jacob. Love isn't a part of this equation." Tears began to fall down Alice's cheeks.

"Oh, sweetie," I said, wrapping her in a hug. "It'll be okay. Have faith, Alice. Have faith."

"Bella's right, Alice," Rosalie said. "Everything will be alright. You just have to believe." Alice continued to cry for a few more moments before recomposing herself.

"Thanks, Bella. Thanks, Rosalie," she said, drying her eyes with her handkerchief. "I don't know what I would do with out you both." She turned to me. "So, Bella, what about you? How did the masquerade ball turn out for you?"

The memories of last night flooded my mind. "Painful," I murmured.

"What happened?" Rosalie asked.

"I'd rather not talk about it," I mumbled.

"Bella, it's not good to keep these things inside you," Alice said. "It's better to let them out. That way, they won't be eating at you." Rosalie nodded.

"Fine," I said. I took a deep breath, then began my tale.

_Flashback (from Bella's POV)_

_I found Angela and began talking to her. After a while, she excused herself and left. I made my way over to one of the vacant couches around the room and sat down, careful not to ruin my appearance. I glanced at the clock. 11:15. Forty-five more minutes until the unmasking. I sighed._

_Fifteen minutes later, a young gentleman came over to me. He had bronze colored hair and pale skin, emphasized by his black suit and mask. The hair sent me into a frenzy. There was only one guy I knew with hair that color and that was…._

Don't be silly_, I told myself. _Just because he has the same colored hair doesn't mean it's automatically him.

_The masked man interrupted my thoughts. "Excuse me, Miss, would you care dance?" he asked me, holding out his hand._

"_As a matter of fact, I would." I took his hand and he helped me to my feet. Hand in hand, we swept onto the dance floor and began to dance. For a while we were silent. Suddenly, I felt my foot catch on the end of my skirt and I stumbled; thankfully, I didn't ruin the dress. The masked man tightened his grip around my waist to make sure I wasn't hurt._

"_Are you alright?" he asked me. He sounded so concerned, so intent on making sure I was okay, just like Edward had…_

_The tears started to fall as I thought of Edward. I turned my head away, hoping he wouldn't notice, but he did._

"_What's wrong?" he asked me._

"_It's nothing," I said._

"_Please tell me," he begged. "I won't judge you. I would never judge anyone. I can't stand seeing you hurt."_

"_How about I tell you a story."_

"_I'm listening."_

_I hesitated. "Once upon a time, there was a princess," I began. "One night, the princess went to a ball. At this ball, she met a prince. There was an immediate attraction between the prince and the princess. The prince saved the princess from a rowdy courtier. The princess was thankful. Slowly, the prince and the princess started to fall in love. The prince began courting the princess. One day, he told her he loves her and she said it too. The princess was so happy, until she saw the prince out walking with one of the ladies of the court. The princess was so angry that she told the prince that she didn't want to ever see him again. They got into a fight and the prince confessed to having feelings for the lady. The princess was hurt and told the prince to leave. He left, and the princess was devastated. She talked to two of her ladies, but the wound was still there." I stopped._

"_How does the story end?" he asked me._

"_I… I don't know," I confessed. "It doesn't have an ending yet."_

"_Well, why don't I give it one?" he suggested. I nodded. He thought for a long moment before beginning. "The prince was deeply hurt by what had happened between him and the princess and he vowed to fix things. He waited and waited for the right moment to approach the princess and apologize to her for what he had done. Finally, opportunity presented itself in the form of a masquerade ball. He plotted and planned to make sure that he would get the chance he needed. At the masquerade ball, he tried all night to find the confidence to find the princess and apologize to her. Finally, he found the confidence. He went to find her and told her he was sorry." I looked up and found the masked man staring at me passionately._

"_Wh…what did she say?" I whispered, my voice barely hearable over the chimes of the bells._

_Slowly, he undid my mask and pulled it away from my face. "Why don't you tell me what she says, Isabella," he asked me quietly._

"_She… she would want to know if the prince was truly sorry for what he did," I said._

"_And if he was?"_

"_If he was, then she would forgive him."_

"_And what about this princess?" He took my hand. "Would you forgive your prince if he apologized?"_

_The answer was on my tongue before I could even think. "Yes," I whispered._

"_Good," the masked man said. "That's all I needed to hear." Without letting go of my hand, he undid his mask and pulled it away from his face. I gasped. "Hello, Isabella," he murmured._

_I tried to pull away, but Edward's strong grip on my hand made it impossible. "Edward…" I said, my voice strangled._

_Edward pulled me closer to him. "Bella…" he whispered. Just then, a mass of pale blue silk appeared and wrapped itself around Edward. Tanya._

"_There you are, Eddiekins," she cooed, locking her arms around his neck. "I've been looking all over for you."_

"_Tanya…" Edward said in a growl. He didn't remove her arms from around his neck._

"_Come dance, sweetie," Tanya said. Then she noticed me. "Eddiekins, who is this?" she said, the smile on her face being replaced by a frown._

"_This is Isabella Swan," Edward said. "She's a friend of mine."_

"_It's nice to meet you, Isabel," Tanya said._

"_It's Isabella," I corrected through gritted teeth._

_She ignored me. "Eddiekins, let's dance," she said to Edward. She tried to pull Edward to the dance floor, but he resisted. "What's wrong, sweetie? Don't you want to dance with your sweetheart?"_

_The word "sweetheart" was like a slap in the face. "So she's your sweetheart, Edward?" I asked, my voice quiet and deadly._

"_No, Bella, it's not like that," Edward said._

"_So what is it like then?" I asked._

"_I can explain, Bella, just give me a chance," he begged._

"_I've given you enough chances Edward," I said._

"_Bella, please, just let me explain," Edward said._

"_I'm sorry Edward, but I can't. I just can't," I said._

"_Bella, please, I care about you, only you, I really do," he begged._

"_Goodbye Edward," I said as I turned away from him and Tanya and began to make my way through the crowd._

"_Bella, wait!" I heard him yell after me, but I didn't stop. "Bella!" I kept walking until I was out of the ballroom and in the entrance hall. I paused, debating what to do now. Suddenly, I heard footsteps behind me and someone calling my name. "Bella!" they yelled. Edward. I turned around, furious._

"_What do you want, Edward?" I snapped. He stopped a few feet away from me._

"_I want to apologize," he told me._

"_I already told you that I can't let you apologize," I said._

_Edward moved closer to me so we were inches apart. "Why can't you, Bella?"_

"_I… I just can't," I said, my resolve weakening._

"_You're fighting what is meant to be, Bella," He said to me softly. "We belong to each other. Surely you've seen that this is so." I nodded. "Then why are you fighting it?"_

"_I… I don't know," I confessed._

"_Don't fight it, Bella," he whispered. "Give in to your heart." He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. Without thinking, I leaned my head on his chest. We stood like this for a few moments, then I felt a pressure on the top of my head. Edward's lips. Something inside of me snapped and I jerked away, out of Edward's arms. Edward looked at me, shocked. "Bella…" he said._

"_I can't do this, Edward," I said, my voice choked. "I'm sorry."_

"_Bella…" Edward reached for me. I pulled away again and turned and ran outside._

_End flashback_

Alice turned to Rosalie. "Please, please, please tell me I can go kill Edward and Tanya now," she begged. "And possibly Bella, for being such an idiot."

"Hey!" I said, offended. "I can understand why you would want to kill Tanya and Edward, but why me? I'm your best friend!"

"Edward and Tanya, maybe," said Rosalie. "Bella, absolutely not. I think she did the right thing."

Alice and I stared at her. "You do?" I asked.

"Yes," Rosalie said. "What Edward did hurt you badly, Bella. You shouldn't just forgive him just because he plans this sweet, romantic apology. And you really shouldn't forgive him if Tanya still thinks he cares about her. If she still thinks he cares, then one of them isn't being completely honest, and I'm almost positive that it's Edward. You deserve a man who will love you and respect you, and if Edward won't, then you should find someone else who will. If Edward thinks he can just act romantic and caring and you'll fall for him, he's wrong. You know what you deserve, Bella, and it isn't this."

"Actually, Rose, I think you may be right," Alice said. "Bella does deserve someone who cares about her and who loves her, not someone like Edward."

"But Edward does care about me," I protested. "Or, at least, I thought he did," I murmured to myself.

"Bella, if Edward cared about you, he wouldn't have gotten involved with Tanya," Rosalie said. Alice nodded. "You need to forget about Edward and find someone else."

"I guess," I said numbly. "Thanks for the advice, girls."

"Your welcome, Bella," Alice said. We fell silent, each wrapped in her own thoughts.

"Something else from last night is bothering me," I said after a few minutes of silence.

"What is it, Bella?" Rosalie asked.

"Isn't it odd how the boys managed to find us? Considering it was a masquerade ball, after all."

"It is odd," Alice murmured. In my mind, I flicked back through the events of last night, each story, looking for a common link. Suddenly, something occurred to me and I gasped.

"What is it, Bella?" Alice asked.

I ignored her and turned to Rosalie. "Rosalie, Emmett found you when you were talking to Lauren, correct?" I asked her.

"Yes, that's correct," she said, looking puzzled.

"And Alice, you talked to Jessica at some point last night, didn't you?"

"Yes," Alice said. "I did."

"And afterwards, Jasper managed to find you, didn't he?"

"Uh-huh," said Alice.

"And I talked to Angela and Edward managed to find me…" I said.

"What are you talking about, Bella?" Rosalie asked.

"I think I know how they found us," I told them.

"How?" Alice asked.

"Think about it," I told them. "The boys know we're mad at them or vice versa and they want to fix thing, but they know we'd never listen. So they decide to use our friends as means to get to us. Now who are our closest friends?"

"Each other," Rosalie said.

"Exactly," I said. "So obviously, we've probably told each other and wouldn't give them the time of day either, so that route is out. So who are our next closest friends?"

"Lauren, Jessica, and Angela," Alice said.

"Exactly," I said. "Now think about it: who did each of us talk to last night? And who managed to find us afterwards?" Alice and Rosalie gasped and I knew they had figured it out.

"So what you're trying to say is that Edward, Emmett, and Jasper recruited Lauren, Jessica, and Angela to help them find us?" Alice said.

"That's exactly what I'm trying to say," I said. We all sat there wordlessly, stunned into silence. Rosalie reached into her skirt's pocket, pulled out a watch, and glanced at it. She jumped to her feet, stuffing it back into her pocket.

"I have to go," she said. "Royce is coming over soon to continue discussing wedding plans." Without another word, she left, leaving just me and Alice in the willow grove. After a few minutes, I stood.

"I should go too," I said. "I need a little time alone to think." Alice barely acknowledged me. I turned and walked through the willow leaves, lost in thought about Edward and what Alice and Rosalie said and about Lauren, Jessica, and Angela and their quasi-betrayal. By the time I reached my carriage, I was more confused than ever. Only one thing was certain: I needed to get Edward out of my life, once and for all.

**Okay, by a show of hands, how many people want to kill Bella for that last line? raises hand Don't worry sweeties, I'll make things all better with a wave of my magic wand (jk). No, but really, I promise to fix everything. The golden couples of _Twilight_ cannot remain apart forever!**

**xoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212**


	19. Awakening

**Oh, my god, you have no idea how sorry I am about the lack of updates for the past two weeks. Thankfully, the Jewish holiday season is over, so things will slowly get back to normal for me, giving me more time to write. Again, I promise to make it up to you - I have another chapter ready to go, so if this one does good, you can have another new one by Sunday at the earliest.**

**Disclaimer: still not mine.**

Chapter 19 – Awakening (Rosalie's POV)

I climbed into my carriage, lost in thought. So many questions I had to answer, so many things I had to decide. No more running – the time for that was over. It was time for me to choose: Royce or Emmett? Such a hard decision to make. There were positives and negatives to both.

First, there was Royce. He was handsome, he was rich, yet something wasn't right. Then it came to me. For all of his perfectness, had Royce ever said he cared for me? Sure, he had used his concern for our relationship as a reason for me to leave Emmett, but did he really mean it? Were there really feelings involved or was I nothing more than a figurehead, an accessory on Royce's arm? Somehow, I didn't think there were.

Then, there was Emmett. Goofy, sweet, handsome Emmett. The one who actually cared for me. The one who made me feel happy. The one I wanted, no, needed to be with. But how?

I looked out the window and was surprised to see my house. I saw the Kings' carriage and I panicked. _No!_ I thought. _I need more time to decide!_

_Or do you?_ My conscience asked me.

_**Of course I do!**_I snapped. _**This isn't some little, insignificant decision. Whichever guy I choose ultimately shapes my future! I want to choose what's right for me!**_

_You already know what's right for you. You just need just need to open your eyes and see the truth for yourself._

A flash of red against the green hedges beside the carriage caught my eye. I looked closer and found a single red rose growing among the hedges. A red rose… just like the necklace Emmett gave me… Emmett….

_I knew you could figure it out,_ my conscience gloated.

_**Thank you,**_I told her.

_You're welcome._

Confidently, I walked up to the front door and went inside. I found my parents and the Kings' in the sitting room. Royce was the first to notice my presence. "Rosalie!" he called, coming forward to embrace me. I took a step back. "Is something wrong, dearest?" he asked me.

"I have something I need to say," I said.

"What is it, Rosalie?" my father asked.

I took a deep breath. _It's now or never,_ I told myself. "I'm withdrawing my consent. I no longer want to marry Royce."

Silence fell. Everyone in the room stared at me with shocked eyes, except for Royce. He tried to put on a shocked face, but all I could see in his eyes was anger. For a brief minute, I panicked. Could he see through my pretenses? Did he know why I was withdrawing my consent? Were my feelings for Emmett that obvious? Was the anger I could so plainly see for me or for Emmett?

Finally, my father asked, "Why don't you want to marry Royce?"

"It's just not what I want," I said.

"If it's not what you want, then why did you agree in the beginning?" my mother asked.

"At the time, I thought it was what I wanted," I answered. "But things have changed. I've changed. I'm not the same Rosalie I was then. Maybe that Rosalie thought that marrying Royce was right for her, but this Rosalie knows that marrying Royce isn't right for her and won't make her happy."

"Well, Rosalie, if you're sure this is what you want…" my father said.

"I'm sure," I said confidently.

"I guess we'll have to annul the marriage, then," my father said, turning to Mr. King.

"That shouldn't be a problem," Mr. King said. "No official wedding contract was drawn up that needs to be annulled. The only thing that really needs to be taken care of is canceling all the plans. Since most of the plans were made under my name, we'll take care of that. There's really nothing for you to have to worry about."

"What about the announcement that was run in the newspaper?" my mother asked.

"We'll simply write to the paper and tell them there was a mistake and they'll make a note of it in the next issue," my father said.

"Is that everything, dear?" Mrs. King asked.

"I believe so," Mr. King said. "Well, since we have no further business here, we had best be on our way."

"I'm sorry if this is causing an inconvenience for you, sir," I said, meaning every word.

"Well, it is a bit inconvenient, but I wouldn't want to see you forced into a marriage you don't want to be in, Miss Hale," Mr. King said. "I'm sure that both you and Royce will find someone who loves you and you are happy with."

"I hope so too, sir. Thank you for understanding." I smiled at Mr. King.

Mr. King nodded. With that, he and his wife swept from the room. Royce followed. As he passed me, his hissed at me under his breath, "You will regret this decision, Rosalie. Mark my words. I will make you sorry you chose him instead of me." With that, he left. I stood, shaking slightly, in the doorway to the sitting room for a long while after the Kings' left.

_I would be careful from now on if I were you,_ my conscience warned me. _There's no telling what Royce might try and do to you._

_**So you think he was serious with his threat?**_

_Yes, I think he was. You saw how angry he was when you said you didn't want to marry him. I think the possibility of him harming you is very much real._

_**Harm me how? Physically?**_

_Maybe. Or maybe he'll harm someone you love to hurt you emotionally._

_**But the only person who he knows about that I have such strong feelings for is…. Emmett.**_ I gasped, realization slowly sinking in. I staggered over to the couch and collapsed onto it, breathing shallowly.

_You need to go to Emmett. You need to warn him right away._

I looked out the window. It was night, pitch-black without any stars or the moon. _**I can't. Not now. It's too late at night.**_

_You're right. First thing tomorrow morning, though, you need to go see Emmett. You need to warn him before it's too late._

_**I know.**_

I thought about my last encounter with Emmett. How was I going to convince him to believe me after what had happened? Would what I thought even matter to him anymore? Or would he be so mad at me that he wouldn't listen and then something would happen to him? I couldn't let that happen. There had to be a way to convince Emmett that I did care and to believe me.

_**There's something I need to do before I warn Emmett.**_

_What could possibly be more important than warning Emmett?_

_**Apologizing to him. He'll never believe me unless I show him that I'm truly sorry for what I've done.**_

_Who are you and what have you done with Rosalie Hale?_

_**Ha-ha.**_

_No, honestly, I like the new Rosalie. You finally understand yourself. It's a good thing. You've gained some sort of new insight into who you really are and I think it's definitely benefiting you. I'm proud._

_**Thank you. I couldn't have changed so radically without you. You've really opened my eyes and let me see what I needed to see.**_

_You're welcome._

I looked back out the window at the dark night. Even though everything important in my life seemed to be hanging in the balance, I felt…calm. Gazing at the stars, I felt the conviction that everything would turn out just right wash over me. Come tomorrow, everything would be the way it should be. _Everything will be alright, _I told myself. _Everything will be alright._

**Anyone up for a little bet? I wanna know what you think: will Emmett listen, or is Rosalie in for another heartbreak? Let me know! Write a review and tell me what you think, people! I wanna hear your opinions!**

**xoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212**


	20. Would You Forgive Me Love?

**Okay, sweeties, so we did good, and, as promised, I'm giving you another chapter. But I know we could have done better. Come on, guys, please review. I can't make this story better if you guys don't tell me what's working and what's not. So please, please, please review. For me?**

**Disclaimer: yeah, yeah, yeah - I know - it's not mine.**

Chapter 20 – Would You Forgive Me Love? (Rosalie's POV)

The bright light of another day broke through my curtains and slowly brought me back to life. At first, I groaned, rolling over and trying to go back to sleep. Then I remembered what I had promised myself I would do. I knew this was not going to be easy, but I knew I had to try.

Two hours later, I found myself in a simple black dress, standing outside of Emmett's house, my carriage long gone, trying to work up enough confidence to knock on the door. I couldn't help it; I was scared, scared that Emmett wouldn't want to hear my apologies or that I was too late and Royce had harmed him somehow.

_You know, you could be worrying for nothing_, my conscience told me.

_**Or my fears could be completely justified. You never know,**_ I replied.

_You're right. And you will never know unless you chalk up enough courage to knock on that door and talk to Emmett._ I sighed reluctantly, but lifted my fist to the door anyway, and knocked. The butler answered the door.

"Good morning, Miss Hale," he said. I smiled, surprised he had remembered me from my last visit. "Are you here to see Mr. McCarty?"

"Yes, I am," I replied. "Is he available?"

"I will go check right away. Please come in," he said, pulling the door open wider. I stepped inside the entrance hall with a smile. He closed the door behind me and disappeared upstairs to get Emmett. I stood patiently, waiting. I couldn't stop my eyes from wandering and I found myself marveling in just how beautiful Emmett's home was. I hadn't noticed it the first time I had come here, but there was just something about the whole place that made it seem so elegant, so regal, yet so comforting. It was simply perfect.

"What are you doing here, Rosalie?" The voice was harsh, and not at all what I had imagined. I spun around and found Emmett at the top of the stairs, glaring at me. I blanched at the pure hatred in his eyes, but I knew I had to do this. I took a deep breath and began to speak.

"I came to apologize to you, Emmett," I said.

"What if I don't accept?" he questioned me.

I sighed. "I suppose I would deserve that, after what I've done," I said. "I've become a monster. I'm everything you accused me of being and worse. I'm vain, I'm spoiled, I'm pompous, I'm arrogant, I'm a hypocrite, I'm… I'm just ….. I'm just a horrid person."

"True," Emmett said.

"I've done so many horrible things to you, Emmett, and you didn't deserve any of it. You've always been so selfless, so caring, and I didn't care, I was too wrapped up in me, me, me to think about anyone else," I said. "I've hurt you so badly, Emmett. You don't deserve someone like me. You deserve somebody who will love you like you should be loved, not a monster who only wants you to make her happy."

"You're right," Emmett said. "I don't deserve someone like you." As he spoke, something changed in his voice.

"Is there any way you could forgive me, Emmett?" I asked him, softly. "Even after everything that I've done?" He continued to watch me without a word, his face unreadable. "I guess I have my answer," I said softly still. I turned away, bowing my head, tears falling uncontrollably. Suddenly, I felt a pair of arms wrapping around me, turning me, and pulling me closer to someone.

"Of course there's a way that I could forgive you, Rosalie," Emmett whispered to me. "How could I not? Don't you realize how much you mean to me?"

"But you said you don't deserve someone like me," I mumbled.

"I don't deserve someone like you, Rose, because I don't deserve someone so perfect."

"I thought you said I was a monster and a horrid person."

"No one could ever think of you that way. I realize now that it was just part of your nature, part of who you are. When you think you care for someone, you would do anything for them. Royce just used that to his advantage."

The reality of Emmett's words settled in me as he spoke. "I guess you're right," I mumbled. "I guess I really do try hard to make the people I care for happy."

"See, Rosalie, you are perfect. I don't deserve somebody who would do anything to make me happy."

I looked up at him. "Don't say that, Emmett. You do deserve someone who would make you happy. Someone who would love you and care for you, someone who would be there when you need them and someone who wants you. Someone who…"

"Someone like you, you mean?" he interrupted me.

I hesitated. "Yes," I said finally. "Someone exactly like me."

He smiled a goofy smile. "Good," he said. "I'm glad we can agree on that much." He let go of me and reached down to take my hand. He led me into the sitting room and over to the loveseat. He waited until I was sitting comfortably before sitting down himself, angling his body so he faced me. I turned myself to face him. He reached out across the space between us and took my hands in his. Suddenly, he let go of one of my hands and reached towards my throat. His fingers gently lifted a small, glass-spun rose away from my collar bone. "Is this…?"

"Yes, it's the necklace you gave me," I answered.

"Royce didn't make you get rid of it?"

"Royce never realized what it really was. He never asked, so I never told him."

"You still wore it, even when you were engaged to him?" I nodded. "Why?"

"As much as I knew I shouldn't, I think some deeper part of my mind that I hadn't really accepted yet wanted me to hold on to whatever parts of our relationship I could under the circumstances."

"So where does the necklace fit in to this?"

"I figured that since the chain was long enough to hide the rose under my dress, I could wear it without Royce noticing. It kept you close to me and made me feel better." Emmett laughed. "What's so funny?" I demanded.

"You," Emmett said through laughter. "You went through all these motions to try and keep me close, even when fate was pulling you away, and yet you never realized why you were doing this?"

"No," I said. "Enlighten me."

Emmett's face fell. "What does it matter?" he murmured to himself. "We're still being kept apart. Nothing's changed. Why bother causing unnecessary pain?"

"What are you talking about, Emmett?"

Emmett stood up and started pacing back and forth in front of where I sat. "You're still marrying Royce. It doesn't matter whether you realize why you acted the way you did. It won't change anything and it will just hurt both of us even more."

"I have no idea what you are talking about except for one little thing, and I also know that when it comes to that one thing, you're wrong."

"What are you trying to say, Rosalie?"

"The only part of that I understood was the part about me marrying Royce," I said. "But you're wrong. I'm not marrying Royce."

Emmett stopped short and stared at me. "I thought that marrying Royce was what you wanted. I thought you were happy that you were going to become a King. I thought you loved him."

"Once upon a time, it was. But things have changed. Royce isn't what I want anymore."

"So what do you want?"

I stood up slowly and looked Emmett in the eyes. "You," I said without breaking eye contact. "Emmett, I… I love you. I've loved you since we met at the Cullens' party and I will always love you."

For what felt like an eternity, Emmett and I just stood there, staring into each others' eyes. Finally, Emmett closed the space between us, wrapping me in his arms once more. "I love you too, Rosalie," he whispered. "I've loved you ever since that night. I've met countless girls in that ballroom, but none of them have ever had this kind of affect on me."

"It's the same thing for me," I whispered back. "I've met so, so many gentlemen through Carlisle and Esme, but none of them have ever mattered to me, except for you."

"I'm glad," Emmett said, pulling me closer. I leaned my head against his chest and sighed, feeling lighter and happier than I had in weeks. I felt Emmett lean down and felt his lips on the top of my head. I sighed again. A small part of my brain told me I should go home, before my parents started to worry. A larger part of my brain told me to stay, stay and enjoy being with Emmett, to enjoy what it felt like to love and to be loved in return.

So I did.

**Ah. Love is so sweet. Aren't you happy that things are finally working out between Rosalie and Emmett? I am. But the trials aren't over yet. These two lovers still need to overcome one more challenge. For that, my dears, you need to keep reading. Until then.**

**xoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212**


	21. Heroes and Villains

**This is it, people. The final ten. Yes, you heard me, people - including this one, there are only ten more chapters until the end of A Different Kind of World. But that doesn't mean this tale is over. On the contrary, it's only just beginning. You may have noticed that this story is only told from the point of view of the girls. But what about the guys? How do they react to all of this? How do they feel? Wanna find out? Well, you just might be able to. I've been debating writing (or I guess you could say rewriting) A Different Kind of World from the boys' perspectives. But I want to know what you think. There isn't a poll, so just write a review and tell me what you think and whether or not you'd be interested in hearing the boys' take on the events of this story. I'm truly curious!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own them. Doesn't mean I can't bend them to my will.**

Chapter 21 – Heroes and Villains (Rosalie's POV)

I spent the rest of the day at Emmett's house. We enjoyed lunch and tea with his parents, but most of the time we spent alone, reveling in the fact that we could be together and that we loved each other. Time passed and the sky grew progressively darker as Emmett and I continued to celebrate that we were in love. Eventually, night came and I had to return home. Since my carriage wasn't here, I decided to walk into town and get a ride from someone I knew. Emmett wasn't thrilled, but I finally persuaded him that it wasn't that far and that I would be okay. Reluctantly, he let me go.

As I left his house, I noticed two men standing outside, as if they were waiting for something. They stood in the shadows so I couldn't see their faces. I ignored them and set off for town.

A ways later, I happened to glance behind me and noticed that the two men from before were following me. I panicked and started walking faster A little ways on I glanced behind me again. They were closer and gaining on me quickly. I tried to run, but didn't get far. One of the men grabbed me and pulled me back roughly, so I slammed into him. I tried to scream, but he slapped a hand over my mouth, muffling my scream. His other arm wrapped around my arms and waist, holding me captive. Desperate to escape, I bit his hand. He released his hand over my mouth, swearing loudly. I tried to scream again, but my captor slapped me hard across the face. I staggered, but quickly regained my composure and tried to scream again.

"You can try to scream all you want, Rosalie, but there's no one around to hear you, so it doesn't do you any good." The voice made my blood run cold. Royce stepped into the patch of light where I now struggled futilely against my captor. He walked up to where we stood and slowly stroked the tips of his fingers across my cheek. I lashed out at him, only to earn another slap across the face. "Enough, John," Royce snapped. "You know we can't leave anything behind that could link this to us."

"What do you want from me, Royce?" I snapped.

"Didn't I tell you that you'd regret choosing him, Rosalie?"

I felt the blood drain from my face. "Wh-what are you going to do to me?" I stammered.

"I plan to take away the one thing that gives you any worth as a woman, Rosalie. I'm going to take it, and when your precious Emmett finds out it's gone, he won't want you. No man will. No man but me."

"If you think that would stop Emmett, you're wrong," I said. "Emmett would still love me."

"Maybe it wouldn't bother Emmett, but it certainly would bother his parents. Think about it: they pay the full price for a virgin bride for their son, only to find out that the bride wasn't a virgin after all. Do you really think they'll just ignore it?"

I was trapped. "No," I mumbled, defeated.

Royce laughed a cold, bitter, mocking laugh. "Exactly, Rosalie," he said. "His parents would have you two divorced in a second. And then what happens to you? The divorced girl who's no longer a virgin. No respectable man will ever want you as his wife. Your parents will be so desperate to get you married that they'll give you to me without a second thought."

"But what if I refuse?"

"Do you think that will matter to your parents? Need I remind you of the situation you will be putting them in?"

"Hey, Royce," John drawled in a Georgian accent, "we probably should move somewhere less visible. People might start getting suspicious."

"Fine," Royce snapped. "Let's move into the alley." Still struggling, they proceeded to drag me deep into the alley. Several yards in, Royce turned to John. "Give her to me. You stay here and stand guard." John let go of me and I tried to run, but Royce grabbed me. "Let's go," he ordered. We started to walk further into the alley. Abruptly, Royce shoved me and I fell onto the ground, my breath knocked out of me. Royce stood over me, watching me with a malicious expression on his face. Out of no where, he pulled out a knife. He bent over me and cut through the strings on my bodice before pulling it aside, revealing my corset. He ripped aside my skirt and pushed my legs open, tearing my petticoat in the process. I closed my eyes as he slashed my corset and bent over me, hoping it would be over soon.

Then his weight on my body disappeared and I heard the sound of a fist connecting with someone's face. Another loud slamming noise sounded after the first, followed by the sound of a body sliding down a brick wall. Then someone was next to me, calling my name. "Rosalie!" they called. Fingers pressed at my wrists, my neck, my forehead. "Rosalie, can you hear me? Rosalie!" I opened my eyes and found Emmett kneeling beside me, a look a terror on his face.

"Emmett?" I said weakly.

"Rosalie? Are you okay?" he asked me, concerned.

"Oh, Emmett," I cried, throwing myself into his arms. They wrapped tightly around me, holding me close as I sobbed uncontrollably on his shoulder.

"Ssh, Rosalie, it's alright, I found you, you'll be okay," he comforted me as I cried. It took me a few minutes to finally stop crying. I looked up at him with red, bloodshot eyes.

"How did you find me, Emmett?" I asked him.

"I saw Royce following you, so I followed him," he answered me.

"Did… did you hear what he said to me?"

"I didn't, but I don't need to. The scene I just found explains it all. He tried to rape you, didn't he, Rosalie?"

I nodded, the hysteria beginning. "He… he was g…going to rape m…me so that you w…wouldn't want t…to marry me and he w…would b…be able to in…instead."

Emmett growled at my words. "He'll never touch you, Rose," he said. "Not while I'm here." He pulled me closer as he spoke.

I shook my head. "It's not just me I'm worried about," I sobbed. "Royce won't stop until he successfully manages to hurt either of us. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you because of me."

Emmett held me closer still. "Don't worry Rosalie. He'll never hurt either of us. Not now, not ever." Slowly, my tears began to stop.

I looked up at Emmett gratefully. "Thank you, Emmett," I said.

Emmett kissed the top of my head. "You're welcome, Rosalie," he said.

"Can you take me home, Emmett?"

"Of course." He pulled us into a standing position and surveyed my appearance. I remembered my slashed clothes and blushed furiously, turning away from Emmett. He blushed too, and averted his eyes. "Uh…maybe taking you home isn't the best idea. Why don't you come back to my house and clean yourself up, and then I'll take you home?"

"Okay," I said. Emmett took my hand and started to walk, but I hesitated. He turned to look at me, confused. "Uh, Emmett, my clothes?" I reminded him.

"Right." Emmett slipped off his coat and handed it to me. Gratefully, I slipped it on. It didn't hide the damage completely, but it covered up the worst of it, where I needed the coverage most. Emmett took my hand again and we started walking towards his house.

We reached his house within a few minutes. We had barely walked a few feet into the entrance hall when we were accosted by Emmett's parents. "Oh, Emmett, there you are," Mrs. McCarty cried. "We were so worried about you!"

"Where were you, son?" Mr. McCarty asked sternly.

"I'll explain later," Emmett said. "Right now, we have other things to deal with."

Mrs. McCarty noticed me standing next to Emmett. "Oh, Rosalie dear, I didn't notice you there. How are…" Her voice trailed off and her eyes widened as she took in my tattered clothes, disheveled hair, and wild eyes. "Rosalie, dear, whatever happened?"

"Royce King the Second tried to rape her," Emmett said grimly.

Emmett's parents stared at us in shock. Mr. McCarty recovered first. "Is she okay?" he asked, concerned.

"I'm okay," I answered. "Just a little shaken."

"All the same, I think you'll feel better once you've had a bath and some food. You'll also need a change of clothes," Mrs. McCarty said. "Come with me dear, I'll take care of it." Mrs. McCarty hustled me up the stairs into her room, where two maids converged on us immediately and began taking care of a bath, clothes, and food for me.

An hour later, Mrs. McCarty and I went back down stairs and found Emmett and Mr. McCarty waiting for us. As soon as we reached the bottom of the stairs, Mr. McCarty said, "Rosalie, I have some good news. The local deputy has been informed of Royce's attempted rape and is on the lookout for him. They've already arrested his accomplice, John, and currently questioning him in the hope of discovering where Royce is. Mr. and Mrs. King have already been informed, along with your parents. Hopefully, things should be resolved soon."

"Thank you," I said. "All of you. For everything."

"You're welcome, Rosalie dear," Mrs. McCarty said. Mr. McCarty nodded. Emmett came over and wrapped me in a hug. I leaned my head against his chest, sleepily.

"Come on, Rose," he said. "Let's get you home." We proceeded outside to their carriage and Emmett helped me in, climbing in once I was settled. Then Mrs. McCarty climbed in, followed by Mr. McCarty. I turned to Emmett, surprised, and he laughed. "They insisted on coming," he explained. "They wanted to see your parents."

When we reached my house, my butler showed us into the sitting room, where my parents were waiting. Their faces shifted from concerned to relieve when they saw me with Emmett, apparently unharmed. "Oh, Rosalie," my mother cried, rushing over and embracing me. "Are you alright, sweetheart?"

"I'm fine, mother," I said. "I'm lucky that Emmett arrived when he did."

My father turned to Emmett. "Thank you for rescuing her, Emmett," he said. "Mrs. Hale and I will forever be in your debt."

"I'm not sure that that's really necessary, sir," Emmett said. "I can think of an easier way for you to express your gratitude."

"And what is it?" my father asked.

"All I want is to be able to spend the rest of my life with your daughter. I love her and she loves me. All I ask for is her hand in marriage, that she will be mine and I will be hers for the rest of our lives."

"I think the person you really need to ask is Rosalie," my father said.

"And if she accepts?"

"If she accepts then I will give you both my blessing."

Emmett turned to me. He got down on one knee and took my hands in his. "Rosalie, I love you. I always have, and I always will. Will you marry me?"

"I love you too, Emmett. Of course I'll marry you," I said.

Emmett stood and looked over at my father. "Do we have your blessing, Mr. Hale?"

"You have my blessing, children," my father answered. Emmett smiled.

"We can discuss all the details tomorrow," Mr. McCarty said. "It's getting late, and I'm sure Rosalie must be very tired."

"Very well," my father said. "We will see you all tomorrow."

Emmett walked swiftly to my side and pulled me into a hug. "Until tomorrow, my bride-to-be," he said.

I laughed happily. "I'll be waiting, my husband-to-be." Emmett smiled and placed another tender kiss on the top of my head, before releasing me and following his parents out the door. Still smiling, I walked slowly up the stairs and went to bed, thrilled at the prospect of what tomorrow would bring.

**One couple down, two to go. Still expect plot twists, though. Just because I've decided to resolve the madness I created once and for all, doesn't mean I can't shock you in the process. Where's the fun in just letting things revert to the way they should be without stirring up a little more trouble?**

**Don't forget to let me know what you think!**

**xoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212**


	22. Say Goodbye

**Alright guys, here it is.... Chapter 22!**

Chapter 22 – Say Goodbye (Alice's POV)

_**One week later….**_

_Jasper and I stood across from each other in the willow grove. We stared straight into each other's eyes, never moving. Cautiously, I took a step forward, never breaking eye contact. He didn't respond. I took another step forward. And another. And another. One more. Suddenly, he started walking towards me. In five long strides he had closed the distance between us. He took me in his arms and pulled me close. I gasped, shocked, but wound my arms around his neck. "Alice," he whispered, his breathing ragged. Slowly, he leaned in towards me. My breath caught in my throat and my heart started to race. His lips were only an inch from mine and I could feel his breath on my face…_

_Knock, knock. _I sat up, disoriented, in my room, sunlight streaming through the window. Another knock rang through the room. "Come in," I called.

My maid, Annalisa, poked her head around the door. "I'm sorry, Miss Brandon, did I wake you?" she asked, concerned.

I glanced at my clock. "No, Annalisa, I overslept."

"Do you need me to help you get dressed?"

"I think I can manage, but I'll call you if I need help."

"Very well, Miss Brandon. Also, your parents would like me to remind you that Mr. Black and his father will be here soon, to continue discussing wedding plans."

"Thank you, Annalisa." She nodded and closed the door behind her. I fell backwards onto the pillows and sighed. _It was just a dream,_ I told myself. _Oh, but how I wish it wasn't._ I sighed. This dream, or dreams of similar varieties, had been plaguing me for a week now, ever since the masquerade ball. These dreams only served to confirm what I already knew: that I love Jasper and needed to find a way to be with him. But what about Jacob? I was betrothed to him, and I couldn't just back out of the engagement. There had to be a way to make everything work….

An hour later, I sat in the sitting room with my parents, waiting for Jacob and Billy. Augustus appeared, Jacob and Billy behind him. They came in and sat down. To my surprise, Jacob didn't come over to me and kiss me on the cheek as he usually did. I sat contemplating this change in behavior when Jacob spoke. "Father, Mr. and Mrs. Brandon," he said, "do you mind if Alice and I go talk about something for a moment?"

"Go right ahead, dears," my mother said. Jacob stood and walked out of the room, towards the drawing room. I followed him. When we reached the drawing room, he sat down in one of the armchairs and I settled into the chair opposite.

For a long while, we simply sat there in silence, staring at each other. Finally, Jacob said, "So who was that man at the masquerade ball?"

I started. "Wh-what?" I asked.

"You know, blond, silver suit and mask," he said. "You were dancing with him…"

I realized who he was talking about with a jolt of pain. "Oh, do you mean Jasper?"

"Yes."

"Jasper is a…. a friend."

"It looked like something deeper then friendship, Alice."

I blanched. "Look, Jacob, I can explain. Before you came back, Jasper and I… well, you see, he was courting me… there were some feelings involved… it really isn't how it looks, anything that was between us is over…"

"Alice, wait," he said. "I'm not mad at you."

I stopped talking, shocked. "You're not?"

"No," he said.

"Why not?"

"Do you love him?"

Jacob's question caught me off-guard. "Do I love him?" I repeated.

"Yes." I hesitated. "Don't be afraid to tell me the truth, Alice. I'm simply curious."

"Yes," I whispered. "I do love him."

"That's what I thought," he said. "It's quite obvious, you know."

"I'm sorry," I mumbled.

"Don't be," he told me. "You can't control your emotions, Alice. Your parents may be able to tell you who to marry, but they can't tell you who to love."

"It doesn't bother you?" I asked. "You're not uncomfortable with the fact that you're marrying a woman who loves another man?"

"It doesn't have to be that way."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if we both agree that we don't want to marry, our parents won't force us. Then you'll be free to marry Jasper and be with someone who loves you and who you love."

"I couldn't."

"Why not, Alice?"

"Well, where does that leave you? I already have a whole alternate future within my reach, but you…. you don't."

"Alice, I'll be okay. To be completely honest, I met someone at the masquerade ball, who I feel attracted to, and I think she's attracted to me. Maybe I can marry her."

"What's her name?"

"She knows you. Her name is Lizzie."

"Lizzie's a wonderful girl. You two will be happy together."

"So, are we in agreement? Shall we tell our parents?"

"Are you sure this is what you want?"

"I want you to be happy, Alice. If it means letting you go so you can marry another, I'll do that, gladly."

"If you're sure about this. Let's go tell our parents." Side by side, Jacob and I walked back to the sitting room. Our parents ceased their discussion when we walked into the room.

"So what were you two talking about?" Billy asked.

"I wanted to discuss with Alice how she felt about ending our engagement."

"How come?" my father asked.

"We both feel like it just wasn't what we wanted."

"Is this true, Alice?" my mother asked.

"Yes, mother, it's true. We talked it through, and we both feel that it's better for us to go our separate ways in life," I said.

"Well, then, we better go take care of getting the betrothal annulled," my father said. The rest of us agreed and we proceeded to town.

By midday, I was free. The betrothal was annulled and Jacob and I had gone our separate ways with a promise to remain friends. When I arrived home, I felt light and free. Then I remember why we had ended the marriage and my good mood shattered. I still had one more task ahead: getting Jasper to forgive me and convincing him that I love him and wanted to be with him. I tried to think how best to do this. Finally, I decided on a face to face confrontation. I decided that I would ask him to meet me in the willow grove this afternoon, to talk. I knew it was a risk, but it was one I was willing to take.

I went upstairs to my room, and got out a piece of paper and a pen. Slowly, I put the pen on the paper and began to write the words that would either bring me happiness or tear my world to shreds.

**There you have it people. Alice and Jasper are on the road to reuniting, but will they? That's for me to know and you to find out.**

**On another note, only two people responded to my crucial question last chapter: boys version of A Different Kind of World: yes or no? I need to know people, so tell me what you think!!!!!**

**xoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212**


	23. We Belong Together

**Okay, guys, I'm being way nicer than I should be. You guys are not reviewing.I only got four - yes four - reviews last chapter. I want to personally thank the four people that did review - justanotherditzyredhead, TayuyaFluteofDeath, seashell118, and I'myoursweetestgoodbye, you guys rock. Also, you guys aren't responding to my question. Only three people have answered - TayuyaFluteofDeath, I'myoursweetestgoodbye, and XxKMacxX. Seriously, guys. You guys don't deserve another chapter. But I'm being nice and giving you one anyway. So do me a favor please. All I ask is that you review and tell me whether or not a boys version of this story sounds good. It's really not that hard. I'm begging you guys!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em. However, since this is my story, I can do whatever the hell I want with them. For example, since this is my story, Jacob can like Lizzie. Why? Because I said so, that's why!**

Chapter 23 – We Belong Together (Alice's POV)

I pulled a pocket-watch from my pocket and glanced at it nervously. 3:25. If Jasper was coming, he should be here in five minutes. I slipped it away, before readjusting my position on the bench. I sat in the willow grove, waiting for Jasper and praying he would come. I pulled the watch from my pocket again. 3:27. I pocketed it, stood up, and began to pace back and forth across the clearing, too nervous to sit. I had just reached the far end of the clearing when I heard the leaves rustle. I spun around as the leaves rustled again, before parting. A man stepped into the clearing. My heart soared at the same time as a sea of pain crashed around me.

Like my dream, Jasper and I stood across the clearing from each other, staring into each other's eyes. Numerous times, I tried to speak and failed. Finally, I found my voice. "You came," I said.

He nodded, but didn't speak. We stood in silence staring at each other. Slowly, he pulled my letter out of his pocket. "Why did you send me this?" Jasper asked.

"I wanted a chance to apologize to you, Jasper," I said.

"I'm listening."

I took a deep breath. "I've been thinking about everything that's happened since we met," I said. And I'm sorry. For everything. I should have been honest with you from the start, Jasper. Instead, I lied and I told you half-truths, and it hurt you and… I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you." Jasper continued to look at me. Slowly, I started walking towards him. "I truly am sorry, Jasper. I wish you could see just how sorry I am right now. I feel horribly guilty for what I've done. I wish I could erase everything and just go back to when we first met, when things were just perfect between us. When we…." I hesitated. "When we were in love."

"Were we, Alice?" Jasper asked. The question brought me to a stop, halfway across the clearing, in front of the bench.

"I was," I said softly. "I love you, Jasper, with all my heart. Truly, I do. And I know you may not love me anymore, but…." I never finished my sentence. At that moment, Jasper unfathomable expression changed to one of sheer passion and love. He lurched forward, closing the space between us in five long strides. Like in my dream, he took me into his arms, pulling me close to his body. I gasped in shock, winding my arms around his waist. He pulled me closer and leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"Of course I still love you, Alice," he whispered. "How could I not? Haven't you realized just what you mean to me? I thought you could tell how much I want you, how much I need you."

"But you were so mad at me…" I mumbled.

"I wasn't mad at you, Alice; I was jealous," Jasper confessed. "Jealous that this Jacob person would be lucky enough to spend the rest of his life with you when I couldn't. Jealous that he would be able to hold you and love you like I never could. Jealous that when you one day walked down the aisle, it would be him waiting for you at the altar, not me. Jealous that he would receive all of your love. Jealous that he would be the one to give you a home and children and make you happy."

"I wasn't happy," I told him. "I spent everyday pining after you, wasting away. All of my energy went into loving you, even thought I knew I shouldn't. There wasn't any energy or love left for him."

Jasper shook his head. "You love me so much more than I deserve, Alice."

"You deserve every ounce of my love and more, Jasper."

"It's not mine, Alice. I can't claim your heart if you belong to someone else."

"I don't belong to someone else."

"What do you mean?"

"Jacob and I both agreed that being betrothed to each other didn't work for us. So our parents ended the betrothal. I can marry whomever I please."

"And who do you want to marry, Alice?"

"You. I want to marry you. I want to be able to do everything you said before for you. I want to spend my whole life with you. I want it to be you holding me and loving me. I want to walk down the aisle on my wedding day and have it be you waiting for me at the altar. I want you to give me a home and children and make me happy. I want to love you."

"You really want to belong to me, to be my wife?"

"I already belong to you, Jasper. Every part of me has always been yours. My heart, my body, my soul… they're yours."

"Are you sure, Alice?"

"I'm sure, Jasper. If you want me, I'm yours."

Jasper wrapped his arms tighter around me. "Alice…" he whispered, his breathing ragged. He leaned in towards me, and I felt my breath catch in my throat and my heart start to race. Unlike my dream, his lips pressed a long, lingering kiss against my forehead, not my lips, but I didn't care. This was better than my dream because it was real. He pulled back and I leaned my head against his chest with a breathy sigh. We stood there for a while, then Jasper took a step back and sat down on the bench, pulling me with him. I adjusted myself so I was sitting comfortably on his lap and nestled closer to him. His arms wrapped tighter around me, holding me there. Neither of us spoke, but we didn't need words to convey everything we felt. Happiness. Peace. Trust. Friendship. Love.

"Alice?" Jasper's voice broke the silence.

"Yes?" I said. Jasper's tight grip around me loosened and he slid me off his lap and onto the bench beside him. He stood up, took my hands in his, and helped me stand up.

"I know you already said that you would marry me, but I want to do this right, so," he slid down onto one knee, never letting go of my hands. "Alice Brandon, I love you. You are my reason for living and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you too, Jasper. So yes, I will marry you." Jasper smiled at me and stood up. Feeling like my heart could burst from joy, I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him. His arms constricted around my waist and he hugged me back.

"There's one more thing we need to do to make this official, you know," he told me, still hugging me. "We need to tell our parents and get their approval."

"That won't be hard," I said. "They approved the first time, why wouldn't they approve a second time?"

"Still, we should get it out of the way, so we can move on to more important details." I sighed reluctantly and let go of Jasper. He unwrapped his arms from my waist, but reached down to take my hand. Together, we walked out of the clearing and over to our carriages. Outside my carriage, Jasper turned to me. "I'm going to go home and get my parents. We should be at your house within the hour."

"I can wait," I said.

"Maybe you can," Jasper said. "But I can't." He helped me into my carriage. "I'll see you soon." He shut the door and my carriage sped away. I arrived home and immediately sent Augustus to tell my parents to come to the sitting room. He disappeared to go find them and I went to wait.

My parents trailed in a few minutes later. "Yes, Alice, dear? Why did you need us?" my mother asked.

"The Whitlocks are on their way over," I answered.

"Whatever for?" my father asked.

"Jasper asked me to marry him, and I said yes. He wants to get your approval, though, before we make anymore plans."

My father was about to respond when Augustus appeared in the doorway. "Excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Brandon, but Mr. and Mrs. Whitlock are here to see you."

"Bring them in, Augustus," my father said. He and my mother sat down on one of the couches as Augustus went to get Jasper and his parents. They came in and Jasper immediately walked over to me and kissed me on the cheek before sitting down next to me. His parents exchanged greetings with my parents and settled down on another couch.

"So, Jasper, you asked Alice to marry you, correct?" my father asked.

"That is correct, sir," Jasper said.

"And Alice, you accepted?"

"Yes, father, I did," I said.

"My parents have no objections to Alice and I getting married," Jasper told my father. "All we need is your approval, Mr. Brandon. And yours, Mrs. Brandon."

"I don't understand, though," Mrs. Brandon said. "Even after what happened before, you still want to marry Alice, Jasper? I am not saying I don't approve, but I just want to understand better what's going through your heads."

"I think the best explanation I can offer you is that love is irrational, Mrs. Brandon," Jasper said. "I love your daughter. She has hurt me before, but I still love her. It's irrational, yes, but that's love."

"So you're saying this is about love, Jasper? Is that it?"

"It is, Mrs. Brandon. I love Alice and she loves me. All we want is the chance to act on that love."

My mom nodded. "You really do love her. I can see it in the way you look at her. It's in her eyes too." She smiled. "You have my blessing, dears. I'm sure you will both be very happy together and I look forward to having you as my son-in-law, Jasper."

Jasper smiled at her and turned to my dad. "All we need is your approval, sir."

My dad cleared his throat. "Honestly, not giving you two my blessing would almost be a crime. It would be wrong to keep you two apart. Love is a blessing, children, and it's an even bigger one if you can follow it and be happy. Cherish what you have with Jasper, Alice. It's rare to find love as pure and sweet as what you've found here. And Jasper?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Take good care of my daughter."

"I will, sir."

**Two down, one to go. Please review! I want to hear what you think, both of the chapter and of the idea of a boys version of the story! Please! Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please!**

**xoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212**


	24. Forgive or Forget?

**Here it is.... the chapter you've all been waiting for.... Chapter 24, Bella and Edward's confrontation and reunion.... or is it? But before we begin, I would like to share some exciting news with you, my darling fans. I have a new story out! It's a one-shot song-fic called "Decode" based off of the Paramore song by the same name (yes, from the _Twilight_ movie soundtrack. It is amazing, non?) Anywho, I would greatly appreciate it if you all would go and read it and maybe even review it? Please?**

**So what did everyone think of the movie? I saw it last weekend, and thought it was simply fabulous. The reveal scene was very well written and I loved the sparkle effect. It wasn't what I expected, but it worked. Of course, Robert Pattinson was divine as Edward and Kristen Stewart made an amazing Bella. All of the casting was fab. I loved Alice especially. The baseball scene was soooo cool - the way Alice pitches is amazing. I love how she just kicks her leg up so flawlessly. She'd make an amazing dancer. But I'm rambling.**

Chapter 24 – Forgive or Forget? (Bella's POV)

_**One week later…**_

Getting Edward out of my life was easy. I never saw him anymore, so it was simple enough to say he was out of my life. Getting him out of my mind was another thing entirely. I never stopped thinking about him. I knew that he had left me and I knew he was presumably courting Tanya, but I still wouldn't forget about him. My dreams at night were filled with him. Some nights I would dream about the masquerade ball, other nights I would have dreams were I was forced to watch as he and Tanya got married, and every so often the dream would just be about him being near me, always a little out of reach. I would chase him, but he'd just get farther and farther away until he disappeared.

There was never any relief from the agony. His pained expression from the night of the masquerade ball haunted me day and night. Rose's words from the day after haunted me. It was torture and I couldn't escape. The only temporary relief I had were my books. There, in another world, with people who didn't really exist, the pain was numbed enough for me to forget about it for a little while. I was back to the state I had been after the initial betrayal: a half-human, a zombie, only eating and drinking and speaking if spoken to. I was back to my half-aware existence.

I was in my room, reading a book, hoping to numb the pain when someone knocked on my door. "Yes?" I said. Jonathan opened the door.

"Miss Swan, a letter just arrived for you," he said.

"Who is it from?"

"It bares no name and the messenger was instructed not to say who sent him."

"Very well. Leave it on my desk." He placed the letter on the desk and left. I put down the book and walked over to the desk to see the letter. My name was written on the envelope in a clear, elegant script. The handwriting made my blood run cold. I knew that writing. It was Edward's. A wave of emotions crashed over me. Anger. Hatred. Love. Longing. Pain. My thoughts were completely scrambled and I didn't know what to do. Part of me thought I should simply burn it without reading it. Part of me thought I should read it, and then burn it. Part of me thought I should read it and not burn it unless it was completely necessary. That part won. I picked up the letter, opened it slowly, and began to read.

_Dear Isabella,_ he wrote. _I know there is a very good chance that your eyes may never see this letter. If by some miracle they do, I want you to know that I am sorry. I am sorry that I hurt you as badly as I have. I never meant to do anything like this to you. I truly care about you and I regret my actions. If you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I will be waiting for you at the town square this afternoon at 4 o'clock, simply to talk. We do not have to go back to the way we were, but if we can at least be friends again, I will be happy enough. I hope to see you at four. Sincerely, Edward._

I stood there, frozen, the letter in my hand. I looked over at my clock and saw that it was already two in the afternoon. Only two hours to decide whether to meet Edward or not. Two hours to decide if I was going to forgive him, or forget him. Two hours to make one of the toughest decisions of my life….

One the one hand, I was still angry over his betrayal. He may have apologized, but after the performance at the masquerade ball, how could I forgive him? How could I trust him when Tanya still thinks he cares? One of them is either deluding themselves or not telling the other the truth. I had to believe that Edward hadn't confessed the truth to Tanya. Then I remembered his reaction. He had seemed…. angry and upset that Tanya would not leave him alone. He resisted her attempts to get him to dance with her. So does that mean that Tanya was at fault? Was she deluding herself into thinking that Edward still cared? It seemed highly possible. _Maybe I should go meet him,_ I thought. _Even if we don't return to our courtship, we could still be friends. I'm going to go._ I rejected that last thought as soon as it entered my head. I wasn't going to go running to meet him as soon as he gave me the chance. I didn't want to look desperate. If he was really sorry, he would come to me. I would not go running back to him.

_**Three days later…**_

Three days had passed since Edward sent me the letter and I hadn't gone to meet him. He still hadn't come. _I guess he wasn't truly sorry after all,_ I thought bitterly. My pain increased at that thought. I needed to get out, to get some air and clear my head. I raced outside, pausing only to tell Jonathan that if any visitors should come for me, to send them to the gazebo. I ran without stopping, straight to the gazebo. I sat down on the porch swing inside and stared dejectedly around me. Lost in my pain, I didn't notice someone walking up the path towards me. I didn't hear their footsteps on the stairs or the floor. I didn't even realize they were there until they sat down next to me on the porch swing, jostling it and shaking me out of reverie. I jumped slightly.

"I'm sorry," said the soft, velvety voice. "I didn't mean to scare you." I turned my head to the left slightly and my eyes widened in shock. Edward sat next to me, handsome as ever in a light-colored suit. I felt my heart breaking as I looked at him. Pain was etched across his face, shone in his green eyes, their usual emerald glow dimmed. I knew it was probably an accurate reflection of how I looked right now.

For a while, neither of us spoke. Finally, I found my voice. "Why are you here, Edward?" My voice was soft, broken, barely above a whisper.

"Why didn't you come meet me?" he asked in response. "Am I too late?"

Decision time. Was I going to forgive him? "I… I don't know," I mumbled.

"Isabella, I'm not going to force you to forgive me. If you don't want to forgive me, I understand. I've hurt you badly and I'm sorry. I want you to forgive me, but you don't have to if you don't feel you can." He paused, but I couldn't speak. "Do you need a little time to think?" I nodded my head ever so slightly. "Okay. You take your time and think about this. I'll leave so you can think in peace." He stood up and began walking away, the pain even more visible on his face. My own pain became unbearable and tears began to fall down my face.

"Wait," I said through my tears, standing. He paused at the bottom of the stairs, but didn't look at me. "Don't go." He turned to look at me, the tiniest hint of shock breaking through the pain. "Please don't go, Edward." He hesitated at the bottom of the stairs. "Don't leave me," I begged softly. The flow of tears became heavier. I could barely see him.

Edward hesitated for a few more seconds at the foot of the stairs. Slowly, he started walking towards me, careful not to startle me. He tentatively wrapped his arms around me. I buried my face in his chest, still crying. He made no move to stop me; instead, his arms constricted tighter around my waist, holding me closer.

"You have no idea how bad I feel about this, Bella," he said. "Seeing you crying like this and knowing I'm the cause. I never should have fallen for her fake attraction."

I looked up at him. "Wh-what?"

He looked away. "Tanya never actually cared about me," he said, his voice hard. He let go of me and walked over to the swing and sat down, placing his head in his hands. I sat to next to him, cautiously, close enough to touch him. "I was nothing more than a play toy to her. She only wanted me around until someone better came along. I thought she really had feelings for me. I certainly had feelings for her. But they didn't have even one tenth, no, one hundredth of the power that my feelings for you have. I was such a fool not to see this before."

"I don't understand. If you realized that you don't really care for her and she didn't really care for you, then why was she still under the impression that you did care at the ball?"

"She was deluding herself. She thought that I was with you to make her jealous. She thought I still cared."

"Did you still care at that point?"

"No. At that point, the only thing on my mind was convincing you to forgive me. I was so determined to get you to forgive me. I was willing to try anything. The stunt at the masquerade ball was actually Jasper's idea. Jasper, Emmett, and I got Lauren, Jessica, and Angela to help us find you, Alice, and Rosalie. At first I was convinced it wouldn't work, but as time wore down, and nothing else seemed even possible, I grew fonder of the idea. If only Tanya hadn't appeared when she did…"

"And the letter?"

He lifted his head and looked straight into my eyes. "I've spent the past two weeks thinking only about you, Isabella. My every waking thought was consumed with getting you to forgive me. I wanted you to talk to me again, even if it was only to tell me that you never wanted to see me again. Sending you that letter was a huge risk. I didn't know if you would even read it, and if you did, if you would even care enough to come meet me. Since I wasn't sure, I promised myself that if you didn't come, I would come here the next day and talk to you."

"Then why did you only come now?" I asked.

"I'm a coward, Isabella," Edward confessed. "It took me three days to find enough courage and confidence to come talk to you. I still don't know how I managed to come here."

Tentatively, I reached out and placed my hand on Edward's. "I'm glad you came, Edward. I really am."

Edward appraised me silently. "Well, Isabella, I've answered all of your questions, now I think it's time you answered mine." I nodded. "Let's start with my question from earlier: why didn't you come meet me?"

I hesitated, trying to find the right words to phrase how I felt. "I didn't meet you because… because I was too afraid that going to see you would make me look weak. I was afraid that it would look like I couldn't function without you. I care about you, Edward, I do; I just don't want to be dependant on you or any other man. I want to have someone who cares about me, but I also want to have my own life. Does that make sense?"

He nodded. "I understand that entirely."

I smiled weakly with relief. "Good." We were silent for a while. "Any more questions?" I asked finally.

"Only one."

"Yes?"

"Why did you run away from me at the masquerade ball? Not when Tanya appeared, the second time. When we were alone, in the entrance hall."

I hesitated again. "I can't entirely explain why I ran away, Edward," I began. "In part, it's because of what I was telling you before, about not wanting to seem weak. I didn't want it to look like any man could hurt me as badly as he wanted and as long as he planned a romantic apology, I would forgive him."

"Again, I understand that, Isabella, and I think that it's good."

"You do?"

"Yes. You shouldn't have to seem weak or be dependant on a man. You are a strong young woman and should be able to live on your own, and be loved for it. Now what's the other part of this?"

I sighed. "The other part is that…. that I didn't…. I didn't feel like I could forgive you yet. After what happened with us and with Tanya, especially that night, I just wasn't sure that I was ready to forgive you and put everything in the past."

"So what about now? Are you ready to forgive me? Or am I too late?"

I thought about this question for a few seconds. "I'm not ready to forgive you, Edward. I am forgiving you. I can't stay mad at you, Edward. My other feelings for you are too strong for anger to last long against them."

Edward smiled the crooked smile I knew and loved. "Lucky me, then." He shifted his weight slightly and I caught a glimpse of something purple, white, and yellow on the swing beside him, just out of my range of viewing.

"What is that beside you, Edward?" I asked, pointing.

He flushed slightly. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice," he mumbled, producing a small bouquet of purple, yellow, and soft white wildflowers from beside him.

My breath caught in my throat. "Are… are those for me?" I stuttered.

"Of course," he said with the same dazzling smile. At a loss for words, I simply reached out and took the bouquet. I inhaled the luscious scent of the flowers, lost in their beauty. They seemed so familiar….

I gasped. "Are… are these from…?"

"The meadow?" Edward finished my sentence. "Yes. I thought it might… help me a little if I brought you something from the meadow where we told each other we…." He didn't get to finish his sentence because at that exact moment I threw my arms around his neck, bouquet and all, and hugged him as hard as I could. He wrapped his arms around my waist, drawing me into his lap and hugging me back.

"So you forgive me, Isabella?" he whispered in my ear.

"Of course I forgive you, Edward. How could I not? I love you."

"I love you too, Isabella."

"Edward, call me Bella, please. Isabella just feels so… formal."

He smiled. "Bella. The Italian word for beautiful. How fitting for a girl as beautiful as you, Bella." He kissed me quickly on the cheek. "My beautiful, beautiful Bella." I smiled at his words and nestled closer to him, resting my head on his chest. We sat like this for a while, simply talking. Every so often, Edward would press a gentle kiss on my forehead, the top of my head, my cheeks. After a long while, he extracted a pocket-watch from his pocket and glanced at it. His eyes widened.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"It's just later than I thought, that's all," he said, putting it away and sliding me off his lap and onto the swing beside him. "I need to go run an errand. It shouldn't take me more than two hours." I pouted. Two hours without Edward? I might just die. He saw my pout and laughed. "Don't worry," he said. "If all goes well, I should have a surprise for you when I return." My pout deepened. I hate surprises. He saw the pout deepen. "What's wrong, Bella?"

"I'm not the biggest fan of surprises, Edward, so you probably should tell me now."

"I have to run my errand first. I'm already late. Wait right here for me, love. I'll be back soon." He bent down and kissed me on the cheek before turning and walking away swiftly. When he reached the point where the path curved out of sight of the gazebo, he turned to make sure I was still here. Satisfied, he blew me one last kiss and disappeared. Still slightly disgruntled over the fact that this errand included a surprise for me, I watched him go. _I wonder what the surprise is,_ I thought, curiosity getting the better of me. I nestled back into the swing's cushions and spent the time day-dreaming about Edward's surprise. _What could it be…?_

**Anybody feel like they have a guess what the surprise is? Feel free to tell me in a review! So now I would like to ask three favors of you all. Those three favors are for you to please:**

**a)review this story!**

**b)read my new story "Decode" and review that story!**

**c)tell me what you think about a boys version of "A Different Kind of World!" I have some really great ideas and I promise it won't be a repeat of this! Don't forget, there's already the back-story of Edward and Tanya's romance, as well as what I'm cooking up for Emmett and Jasper. It will be a great story, I promise!**

**Until next time, sweeties.**

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212**


	25. Enough for Forever

**I LOVE YOU PEOPLE!!!!!!! No, seriously. I LOVE YOU PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!! And it's all because of the little, seemingly insignificant fact that WE HAVE REACHED ONE HUNDRED REVIEWS FOR THIS STORY!!!!! Yes, you heard me: one hundred. One zero zero. You have no idea how happy I am. I love you all for this, truly I do! I also love those of you who checked out my newest story, "Decode". I love you those of you who did, and if you didn't, what are you waiting for, the Messiah? Go read it!**

**Now on a slightly sadder note: we are in the final five. Yes, there are only five more chapters remaining until the end of A Different Kind of World. But the story won't be over yet. Au contraire, this is just the beginning. I have decided to rewrite this story from the point of views of Edward, Emmett, and Jasper, both because I think it would be interesting to see what was going on in their minds, and because, quite frankly, I'm just not ready to give this story up. I've become too attached in the almost six months that I've been writing this and didn't want to let go yet. I haven't started the boys' version yet, but I'll let you know when I do. It probably won't be until I post the epilogue to this, so don't get your hopes up yet.**

**Now then.... on to Chapter 25!**

**Also, I wanted to thank the people who took a guess at what the surprise from last chapter was. Two of you got it right. I'll tell you who at the end of the chapter, so as not to ruin the surprise. Now let's get this show on the road for real!**

**WARNING: This chapter is extremely fluffy. Do not read if you are not in the mood for some serious fluff. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED, PEOPLE.**

**DISCLAIMER: Not mine.**

Chapter 25 – Enough for Forever (Bella's POV)

"Wake up, love, wake up." I heard the voice calling me from far away. Someone shook my shoulder gently. "Bella, sweetheart, you need to wake up." I opened my eyes groggily. For some strange reason, I was outside. It was late afternoon, the sun casting long shadows over me. Edward knelt close to my head, one hand on my shoulder. When he saw that my eyes were open, he moved his hand and stood. I sat up, disoriented, and realized I was sitting on the porch swing, in the gazebo. I looked around me, confused. Edward laughed. "I think you fell asleep while you were waiting for me, love," he said, still chuckling. He bent down and picked up my bouquet of wildflowers before handing it to me. I took it from him, blushing. He laughed again. "Did you enjoy your nap, Sleeping Beauty?" he joked.

"No more jokes, please," I begged him. He smiled before sitting down on the swing next to me and pulling me into his lap. He started swinging the swing back and forth gently. For a while, we simply sat like this. "So, did you get your errand done?" I asked him after a few minutes of silence.

"Yes, I did. And it went surprisingly well," he said, sounding happier and lighter then I had ever seen him. It puzzled me to no end. I remembered the last time he said he had a surprise for me. He ended up telling me he loves me. What could possibly be the surprise now? Nothing in the world could ever be better than that surprise. Nothing except… impossible. He couldn't be thinking of that. Could he? But that would have meant that his errand was… no, my parents would never have agreed to that. Would they? Would his parents?

"So that means you have a surprise for me, yes?"

"Yes, Bella, I do."

"What is it?"

"I thought you didn't like surprises, love."

"I don't," I confessed. "But if you don't tell me, I'll never stop thinking about it."

"If you insist, love." He slid me off his lap and onto the swing beside him. I frowned, trying to decipher his behavior. He stood up, and I pouted. He noticed the pout, and smiled. "Do you want your surprise or not, Bella?"

"Do you have to move?"

He laughed, moving to stand in front of me. "Yes, love, I have to move," he said. "It's so much sweeter if I do this properly."

"Do what properly?"

"This." He slid down onto one knee and took my hands in his. My breath caught in my throat. _Oh, my God. _"Isabella Swan?" He looked up at me through his long lashes, his emerald green eyes glittering with all the love and adoration I could tell he felt for me. "I promise to love you forever – every single day of forever. Will you marry me?"

I could feel the tears of happiness brimming in my eyes and I knew Edward was waiting for a response. "Yes," I whispered. I was unable to say more then just that one word, but I knew that that one word was enough.

Edward smiled. "Thank you," he said. He stood up slowly, never letting go of my hands. Before I could move even the tiniest bit, he had pulled me up from the swing and wrapped me in his arms, hugging me closer to him then I ever thought possible. I managed to free my arms from his tight grip and wound them around his neck, hugging him back. For a while, we simply stood there, arms around each other, gently swaying side to side. Eventually, Edward loosened his grip. "We probably should go tell your parents that you accepted my proposal," he said.

"So they gave you permission already?" I asked.

Edward laughed. "Permission? Your mother's first words were after I asked were 'Well, it took him an awfully long time, didn't it dear?'"

I blushed, embarrassed by my mother. "Oh, God."

Edward laughed again. "It really wasn't that bad. They were both very polite about it. They gave me permission almost instantaneously, short of a few standard questions and the assurance that my parents approved of the match." He chuckled. "I almost had to leave and bring my parents here, just to reassure your parents that they approved."

"So you never left my house?"

"No, I did leave. I went home first to ask my parents if they approved, then I came back here to ask your parents. I didn't want to ask you or your parents without knowing for sure if mine approved. Since both of our parents did, I came to ask you."

"And I said yes."

He smiled. "You did."

I smiled back at him. "We should go tell them the good news," I said. We loosened our tight grips around each other. I picked up my bouquet off of the swing, reminding myself to get the flowers in water as soon as we got inside. Edward took my hand and we set off towards the main house. When we reached the entrance hall, Jonathan came over to us with a smile.

"I see your guest is still here, Miss Swan," Jonathan said.

"Yes," I said. "Edward, this is our butler and chief steward, Jonathan. Jonathan, this is Mr. Edward Masen, my fiancé." Jonathan nodded once. "Can you please find my parents and have them come to the sitting room? Edward and I need to share some news with them. Also," I said, handing him the wildflower bouquet. "Please have Marie put these in water and set them on my night table."

"Right away, Miss Swan." Jonathan took the bouquet and disappeared. Hand in hand, Edward and I walked into the sitting room and sat down on one of the loveseats. Two minutes later, my parents walked in. They took one look at me and Edward sitting together on the loveseat, and then the next thing I knew, my mother was hugging me tightly, crying tears of joy.

"Oh, Bella," she sobbed. "I'm so happy for you." She let go of me and turned to embrace Edward. He smiled and returned her hug, causing her to sob harder. She let go of him and turned to me. "You are such a lucky girl, Bella, being able to marry a man who loves you so."

"Like you, mother?"

My mother smiled. "Yes," she said. "Exactly like me."

My father stepped forward to embrace me next. "Congratulations, Bells," he said.

I hugged him back. "Thank you, father."

My father turned to Edward. "I suppose we should head over to your house and start working on arrangements."

"I think that's best, sir," Edward said. The four of us proceeded outside to our carriages. My parents started towards our carriage and I began to follow them. "Bella?" I turned to Edward. "Why don't you ride with me in my carriage?"

I turned to my parents. "Do you mind mother, father?"

"Of course not, dear," my mother said. Smiling, I followed Edward to his carriage. He helped me in before climbing in beside me. As we set off, he drew the curtains over the small windows, ensuring us privacy. Once he was sure no one could see us, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me tight against his side. I snuggled closer to him and looked up at him with a smile. He smiled back at me. My smile widened slightly because I knew I didn't need mind reading powers to know what he was thinking right then.

"I love you, Isabella Swan," Edward said, voicing his apparent thoughts.

"I love you too, Edward Masen," I told him. He leaned his head down and kissed me on the cheek. I sighed and leaned my head against him.

We arrived at Edward's house too soon for my liking. He climbed out of the carriage and then helped me out. I saw my parents alighting from our carriage a little ways up the drive. Together, we walked up the stairs and into the house. When we were inside, the butler greeted us.

"Welcome home, Mr. Masen," he said.

"Thank you, Reuben," Edward replied.

"Who are your guests?" Reuben inquired.

Edward placed a hand on my shoulder. "Reuben, I'd like you to meet my fianceé, Isabella Swan, and her parents."

Reuben smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you all and may I extend my congratulations to you both. Would you like me to go find your parents, Mr. Masen?"

"Yes, please," Edward said. He led me and my parents towards the sitting room while Reuben set off to find Mr. and Mrs. Masen.

When his parents came into the room, Edward got up and walked over to his parents. He began talking to them in a hushed tone. I saw Mrs. Masen hand Edward something, which he immediately slipped into his pocket. He hugged his mother before walking back over to me and sitting down. His parents sat down and turned towards us, as did my parents.

"Bella?" Edward said.

"Yes, Edward?" I said.

"Before we start discussing marriage plans, I have something for you."

"What is it?"

He pulled out a small black satin box. "This." He opened the box to reveal a ring. The face was a long oval, set with slanting rows of glittering round stones. The band was gold – delicate and narrow. The gold made a fragile we around the diamonds. I was shocked by how beautiful it was. Cautiously, I reached out and touched the gems lightly.

"It's so beautiful," I said.

"It's my mother's," Edward told me.

"It was mine," Mrs. Masen said. "Now it's yours, Isabella, dear."

I shook my head. "I can't Mrs. Masen."

"Please, Bella?" Edward said.

I looked at the ring again. Slowly, I reached for it. Edward's right hand grabbed my wrist, stopping me. His other hand reached for his mother's ring. He took it from the box and slid it into place on my left hand.

"It looks beautiful on you, dear," my mother said.

"It does," Mrs. Masen agreed. Edward smiled, but didn't say anything.

"Shall we start on the contract?" my father said.

"Let's begin," Mr. Masen said. As the parents began to discuss all things related to the wedding, I saw Edward make eye contact with his father and tilt his head towards the door slightly. Mr. Masen nodded and Edward smiled.

"Come with me," he murmured. We stood and walked out of the room. As we walked, Edward didn't speak or hold my hand. Was something wrong?

"Is something wrong, Edward?" I asked him. He stopped and turned to look at me. A piece of hair fell in his eyes and I reached out with my left hand and brushed it aside. As I lowered my hand, he caught it in his, bringing it back up to a height where he could see his mother's ring glittering on my finger. For a while we just stood like this, my hand in his, his eyes on the ring. After a while, I found myself eyeing it too, admiring the way the diamonds and gold sparkled against my skin. "Our mothers were right," I murmured, half to myself, half to him. "The ring does look pretty on me."

"Pretty is hardly the way I would describe how it looks, sparkling on your finger," Edward murmured.

"So how would you describe it?"

"Hm…" Edward looked up at me, green eyes meeting brown. "I would have to say that it is the second most beautiful thing I have ever seen, the first being you, of course."

I blushed. "Edward…." I said in a strangled voice.

Edward laughed and pulled me close to him, leaning his head down so he could whisper in my ear. "Bella, you have no idea how long I've dreamed of this. Humor me, please."

I wound my arms around his neck. "How long you've dreamed of what?"

"You, in my arms, wearing the ring I gave you. Wearing something that marks you as mine. Forever."

I waved my hand wearing my ring in front of his face. "You've dreamt of this?"

"I always dream of you, Bella. I love you. Why wouldn't I dream of you?"

I tightened my grip around his neck. "I dream of you too. I dreamt of you even when I was mad at you. You were always on my mind. I could never escape from you."

Edward grip around my waist tightened. "I love that you dream of me, Bella."

"And I love that you dream of me, Edward."

Edward smiled his crooked smile. "You know, I brought you out here because I have another surprise for you, not so we could talk about just how much we love each other. Honestly, I don't think our parents would have minded hearing us right now. They are so happy that we're getting married."

I smiled back at him. "Not as happy as we are," I said. Then I frowned. "Did you say you have another surprise?"

Edward smiled wider. He released my waist and I released his neck. He reached down and took my hand, the one wearing his ring. He led me to another room of the entrance hall. Inside was a spectacular grand piano. Edward led me over to the bench and pulled me down beside him on it. He placed his fingers on the keys and turned to me. "I wrote this for you. I hope you like it." Then he started to play.

As the first few notes drifted into the air, I gasped. The composition he was playing was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard. The music surged around us and I found myself lost in its hypnotic melody. I turned my head slightly, watching Edward as he played. He looked so serious, so intent on the music, his fingers floating over the ivory keys gracefully. My breath caught in my throat at the beauty of it all: Edward, glorious as ever, playing the piano, playing one of the most beautiful melodies I had ever heard. I felt moisture brimming in my eyes as I watched him; how could such a glorious creature love someone so plain like me?

The song ended on a long note that hung in the air. Slowly, Edward lifted his fingers from the keys and turned to me, expectant. "That was…. beautiful," I told him, drying my eyes. "Thank you."

Edward wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against his side. "You're welcome, Bella," he said. "But why were you crying?"

"You're just so perfect. What did I do to deserve someone like you? I'm just so plain."

"You don't see yourself clearly, love. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met." I scoffed and he smiled. "It's true, love. There are so many things that are beautiful about you: your hair, your eyes, your body, your skin."

"Oh?" I said skeptically.

"It's true love." Edward reached out and caught a loose strand of my hair, gently pulling it to where we could both see it. "Your silky brown hair always shines, even without the sun." He let go of my hair and looked straight into my eyes. "Your gorgeous chocolate brown eyes are so deep that I find myself lost in them every time I meet your gaze." He tightened his grip around my waist. "Your body is so soft and fits so perfectly in my arms." He released one hand and reached up to stroke my cheek. The blood rushed to my face and I blushed. "And the perfect rosiness of your blush against the cream of your skin. You have no idea just how beautiful it truly is."

I blushed deeper. "Thank you, Edward."

"You're welcome, love."

"I wonder what progress has been made on the contract," I mused.

"Shall we go find out?" Edward said. He loosened his grip around my waist and we both stood. He took my hand and we walked back to the other room and rejoined our parents. Immediately, we were both caught up in the hectic conversation about the terms of the engagement and wedding plans. Time flew by as plans steadily developed. Finally, night came, and my parents and I had to return home. Reluctantly, I walked outside, towards my carriage, Edward at my side.

My parents climbed in first. I made to walk over and get in, but Edward stopped me. He turned me to face him and looked down at me. His parents stood by the door to his house and mine were in our carriage, both out of hearing range. "I miss you already," I told him quietly.

Edward laughed softly. "It's only until tomorrow, love." He lowered his head and kissed me on the cheek. "Sleep well, my Bella."

"I love you, Edward Masen."

"I love you too, Isabella Masen."

I gave a little start. "I'm not Isabella Masen, Edward. Not yet, at least."

"No, not yet," he agreed. "But you will be. And honestly, I like the sound of Isabella Masen much more than the sound of Isabella Swan."

"I wonder why," I muttered to myself. Louder, I said, "I'll see you tomorrow, Edward."

"I'll be waiting, love." With that, he helped me into my carriage and I set off into the night, dreaming of him and the perfect life we would now be able to spend together.

**Told you it was going to be a fluff-fest. Congrats to sweet16994 and I'myoursweetestgoodbye for guessing the surprise right. I'm proud of you guys!**

**That's all for now. Don't forget to:**

**a) review!**

**b) read "Decode"!**

**Adios, mis amigos.**

**xoxoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212**


	26. Meant to Be

**Sorry this chappie took so long. It was just really, really long - 16 pages, the longest chapter I've ever written (yet). There's not a lot of real, plot altering action,but it does a lot of sorting out things and tying up loose ends that needed to be tied before the last three heart-warming chapters and the epilogue. There are also a couple of surprises in side, but for that, you need to read on....**

Chapter 26 – Meant to Be (Rosalie's POV)

_**Several days later…**_

Almost three weeks had pasted since Emmett and I got engaged and I couldn't be happier. This wasn't like when Royce and I had gotten engaged; then, I had just felt this glowing sense of pride, knowing I would be a King and the envy of every other woman. Now, I felt lighter than air, like I was always floating, I was that happy. Being around Emmett made me really realize just how lucky I truly was. I still couldn't believe my good luck.

When the McCarties arrived, Emmett immediately came over to me and kissed me on the cheek, as he always did. Then he pulled me off the loveseat where I sat and started leading me to the door. "Emmett, where are we going?" I asked him.

He paused in front of the door. "I just realized this morning that we never told Carlisle and Esme that their matchmaking attempt finally succeeded," he said. "I thought that we should go tell them in person, rather then having them find out from the wedding invitation. What do you think?"

I wound my fingers through his. "I think you are absolutely right. Let's go." Fingers laced together, we hurried outside, into my carriage, and set off for Carlisle and Esme's house.

_Alice's POV_

My parents and I walked into the Whitlocks' sitting room to find the Whitlocks' already there, waiting. Jasper's whole face lit up as I walked into the room. Immediately, he was on his feet and across the room, standing next to me. He kissed me on the cheek before leading me over to the loveseat. We sat down and he wrapped an arm around my waist. I snuggled the tiniest bit closer to him, thanking my lucky stars that Jasper and I had met at Carlisle and Esme's party. I gasped.

"Is something wrong, Alice?" Jasper asked me, concerned.

"No," I said. "I just realized that we haven't told two very important people that we're getting married." Jasper looked at me, confused. "We haven't told Carlisle and Esme. Think of how happy they'll be to hear that we're getting married."

"You're right," Jasper said. "We should go tell them immediately. Is that a problem, mother, father, Mr. Brandon, Mrs. Brandon?"

"Not at all," said Mr. Whitlock. Jasper and I immediately got up from the loveseat. We walked outside, got into his carriage, and set off for Carlisle and Esme's.

_Bella's POV_

"Bella, sweetheart, you said you wanted Alice and Rosalie as your bridesmaids, yes?" my mother asked.

"They're my closest friends, mother," I said with a smile. "Of course I want them as my bridesmaids."

"And Edward, you said you wanted Emmett and Jasper as your groomsmen?" Mrs. Masen asked.

"They won't forgive me if I don't let them be groomsmen, so I don't have a choice," Edward joked.

"Excellent," my father said. "Now all we need is a minister and someone to do the music. But who?"

All of us fell into silence as we contemplated who we could get to fill the last two parts of the ceremony. Suddenly, I had an idea. "What about Carlisle?" I suggested.

"Carlisle Cullen?" Mr. Masen asked.

"That's a wonderful idea, Bella," my mother said.

"I agree," Mrs. Masen said. "After all, he and Esme are partially responsible for bringing you two together."

"I'm fine with Carlisle officiating," my father said. "Now all that leaves is music."

"Well," Edward said. "Esme does have some musical talent and it would be unfair to leave her out of this. Why doesn't she play piano for the ceremony?" Nodding heads were all around the room.

"Then it settled," Mr. Masen said. "Carlisle will officiate and Esme will provide the music. Edward, why don't you and Bella walk over there right now and ask them if they don't mind?"

"Of course, father." Edward and I stood and walked out of the room. We walked outside, into the light of a rare sunny day, and set off for the Cullen's mansion.

_Rosalie's POV_

My carriage pulled up outside of the Cullen house. Fortunately, their carriage stood in the driveway, which meant they were at home. Emmett and I climbed out of the carriage and started walking up the steps. We were half way up the steps when we heard the sounds of carriage wheels on the Cullen's driveway. A carriage door opened and we heard two people get out. The door shut and I heard them walking towards the stairs.

"Rosalie?" I heard a familiar, high soprano female voice say at the same time a male voice with a slight southern accent said, "Emmett?"

_Alice's POV_

As Jasper's carriage pulled up in the Cullen's driveway, I noticed a second carriage standing there alongside theirs. _Oh, dear,_ I thought, _I hope we're not interrupting something._ Jasper and I got out of our carriage and started walking towards the stairs. At the bottom, we both jerked to a stop. Half way up the steps was another young couple, not much older than Jasper and I. The man was burly and muscular and tall, with curly dark hair. He seemed familiar, but I couldn't place him. The woman at his side was stunning, blond hair and a statuesque body. Her I recognized.

"Rosalie?" I called in surprise.

"Emmett?" I heard Jasper call at the same time.

The couple turned. I could see now that it was, in fact, Rosalie and Emmett. _No wonder he seemed so familiar,_ I thought. _Wait a second; I thought Rosalie and Emmett were in a fight. What are they doing here, together? _They started walking down the stairs, surprise coloring both of their faces. "Alice, Jasper, whatever are you doing here?" Rosalie asked once they had joined us at the bottom of the stairs. She sounded every bit as surprised to see me with Jasper as I was to see her with Emmett.

"We were about to ask you the same thing," Jasper said.

"As were we," said a velvety male voice from somewhere behind and off to the side of our little grouping.

_Bella's POV_

Edward and I ambled slowly through the gates at the bottom of Carlisle and Esme's driveway, enjoying the sun and each other's company. As we got further up, we could see two carriages in addition to Carlisle and Esme's own. "Do you think they're busy?" I asked Edward.

"We'll find out, love," he replied. As the house came into sight we saw two couples outside the house. One stood at the bottom of the stairs, a muscular but lean honey-blond man and a petite black-haired woman. The other couple was walking down the stairs towards the first, a burly, tall, muscular dark-haired man and a statuesque blond woman.

"Isn't that Rosalie and Alice?" Edward asked me.

"I think so. Is that Jasper and Emmett with them?"

"That appears to be the case."

"I thought Rosalie and Emmett were in a fight."

"So did I. And weren't Alice and Jasper in a fight as well?"

"According to Alice, they were. I wonder what's going on."

Why don't we go say hi? Maybe that will give us some answers."

We walked up behind them just in time to hear Rosalie say, "Alice, Jasper, whatever are you doing here?"

"We were about to ask you the same thing," Jasper replied.

"As were we," Edward said. All four of them turned to look at us, even more surprised.

"Well, this was unexpected," Alice murmured.

Emmett laughed. "Anybody else planning to show up unexpectedly?" he asked.

Rosalie eyed Edward and me speculatively. "So what are you two doing here? And together, no less," she asked.

"We could ask the same thing of you and Emmett," I said.

"And you and Alice, Jasper," Edward said.

Alice laughed. "I think we all owe each other some explanations. Who wants to start?" Nobody spoke. "I guess I will, then. Jacob and I annulled our betrothal."

"What?!" Rosalie and I shrieked at the same second.

"You heard me. We mutually decided that getting married to each other wouldn't work, so we got the marriage annulled."

"So where does Jasper fit into this story?" Emmett asked.

"Well," Jasper said. "After she got her engagement annulled, Alice sent me a letter asking me to meet her and talk with her. I met with her and we talked….. and I proposed."

Suddenly I noticed a sparkling gold band, embedded with sapphires and diamonds on Alice's left hand. I pointed at it. "Alice, is that…?"

Alice giggled and held her hand out so we could see the ring. "It's pretty, isn't it?"

"Gorgeous," Rosalie said. I nodded. "You are such a lucky girl, Alice. Congratulations. And you," she said, turning on Jasper. "Don't mess this up, cousin."

"Cousin?" said Edward, clearly amused.

"Yes, Rosalie's my cousin," Jasper said.

"I knew there was a reason why you two looked alike," Emmett said.

"As much as I love family reunions, there are still a few people here with some explaining to do," Alice said. She threw two pointed glances at me and Edward and Rosalie and Emmett.

Rosalie sighed. "We'll go next." She took a deep breath. "Well, as you've probably guessed, I'm not marrying Royce anymore." At the mention of Royce's name, Emmett growled slightly.

"Why doesn't Emmett like hearing Royce's name?" I questioned.

"He…. He tried to…." Emmett placed a reassuring hand on Rosalie's shoulder. "He tried to rape me." Alice and I gasped. "He nearly succeeded. If Emmett hadn't shown up when he did, he probably would have succeeded. To show their gratitude, my parents let Emmett marry me." Rosalie's left hand reached up and intertwined with the hand Emmett was resting on her shoulder. The gold, diamonds, and amethysts of her ring sparkled in the sunlight.

"Well, congratulations to you both," I said. "I'm sure you'll be very happy together." Rosalie and Emmett looked at each other and smiled.

"Bella, Edward," Alice said. "It's your turn."

"Well…" I turned to Edward, unsure of how to begin. He smiled and wrapped an arm around my waist, turning us back to our friends.

"The whole thing starts about a week and a half ago. I sent Bella a letter asking her to meet me to talk. She didn't come meet me. A few days later, I went to her house to apologize in person. I was incredibly fortunate that she decided to forgive me so fully and that she was willing to marry me as well." Edward smiled down at me and I smiled back. Suddenly, I felt someone grab my left hand. Alice and Rosalie stood a few inches away, admiring the ring on my left hand.

"It's so pretty, Bella," Rosalie cooed.

"It is," Alice agreed. "Congratulations, Bella, Edward." She turned to Edward. "Don't you ever hurt her again, or you'll be answering to both of us."

"I would never dream of it." Edward turned to Emmett and Jasper. "Congratulations, Emmett, Jasper."

"You too," Emmett said. "And you, Jasper."

"You both as well," Jasper said. "But I think we're forgetting some people who need to hear the good news as well." We all laughed and proceeded up the stairs. Once inside, we were shown into the sitting room while someone was sent to bring Carlisle and Esme. Each couple stood together, slightly apart from the other two.

Carlisle and Esme walked into the room. They stopped, surprised, as they saw all six of us standing in the room, paired off. I could almost see the scene through their eyes: Emmett with his arms loosely wrapped around Rosalie's waist, her back pressed against his chest, Alice with one hand resting lightly on Jasper's chest and her head leaning against him, his hand at the small of her back, Edward's arms around my waist, and mine around his, almost as if we were hugging.

"Rosalie, Alice, Isabella, Emmett, Jasper, Edward, what a surprise," Carlisle said. "Whatever brings you to our house?"

"We all have some good news for you," I said.

"And what would that be, dears?" Esme asked.

"We thought you would be happy to know that your matchmaking attempts have finally succeeded," Alice said. "We're all getting married."

"When you say you're all getting married…" Carlisle and Esme looked slightly confused.

"Why don't we clarify," Emmett said. "Rosalie and I are getting married."

"As are Alice and I," Jasper said.

"And Bella and I," Edward said.

For a while, neither Carlisle nor Esme spoke. The next thing I knew, Esme was hugging me so tightly I thought my lungs would pop, tears of joy streaming down her face. She let go of me and went to hug Edward, then Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett.

"I'm so happy for all of you," Esme sobbed. "My congratulations to all of you."

"Mine too," Carlisle said. "You are all very lucky people and you should remember that. And boys," he said to Emmett, Jasper, and Edward. "I don't want to hear one word from Alice, Bella, or Rosalie about you mistreating them. These girls are like my daughters and I love them, so you better take good care of them."

"We will, Carlisle," Jasper promised. "They'll be safe with us." Edward and Emmett nodded.

Esme smiled. "Well, dears, we'd love to have you all stay longer, but we're expecting company soon. We hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," Rosalie said. "We just wanted to share the good news. We'll be on our way now. It was nice to see you both."

The six of us started to leave when I remembered why Edward and I had originally come to see Carlisle and Esme. I turned to remind him, but he was already one step ahead of me.

"Carlisle, Esme?" he called.

"Yes, Edward?" Carlisle said.

"Bella and I have a request to make of both of you. We were wondering if you would be interested in officiating our wedding ceremony, Carlisle, and if Esme, you would be interested in doing the music for the ceremony."

"I would be honored to do the music," Esme said. "What were you thinking?"

"Is piano alright by you?"

"Piano is perfect."

"And Carlisle? Would you officiate?"

"I'm honored that you would choose me and I will gladly officiate."

"Thank you both." We hurried off to catch up with our friends.

When we were all outside, Emmett slung his arms around Jasper and Edward's shoulders. "Come on, boys, I think this occasion needs celebrating!" Jasper and Edward groaned.

"Do you mind, girls?" Jasper asked.

"It's fine," Rosalie said. "I think we girls need a little time to talk. We'll see you later."

Edward broke free from Emmett's grip and walked to my side. He hugged me and kissed my cheek. "I'll see you later, love," he whispered.

"I love you," I whispered back.

"I love you too." We broke apart and I turned to Alice and Rosalie. Both of them were firmly wrapped in their fiancés' arms, exchanging goodbyes. Finally, they broke apart. The boys headed towards Jasper's carriage, while Alice, Rosalie, and I got into Rosalie's and set off for the park.

When we reached the park, we started along the familiar path towards our willow grove. Suddenly, Rosalie groaned. "Oh, no," murmured Alice. I followed her gaze and spotted a trio of men heading our way. I groaned too, recognizing them as Mike, Eric, and Tyler, the three men from the Cullen's party four months ago, when we first met Edward, Emmett, and Jasper. They walked over to us and stood less than three feet away.

"Well, hello, ladies," Tyler said. "How are you three?"

"We're fine," said Rosalie curtly.

"You all look lovely today, if we may be so bold," Eric commented.

"You may not," Alice hissed under her breath, so only Rosalie and I could hear. I smiled slightly, but otherwise, did not respond.

Mike, Eric, and Tyler remained oblivious to the fact that we did not want to talk to them. They kept making idle small talk for the next few minutes, undiscouraged by our short answers and snarky tones of voice. Finally, they got around to the real reason they had come to talk to us.

"Would you care to join us for a walk around the pond, ladies?" Mike offered. Each of them held out a hand to one of us: Tyler to Rosalie, Eric to Alice, Mike to me. We subtly looked back and forth between each other, panicking. Suddenly, I had an idea.

I place my left hand on Rosalie's shoulder, angling it so my ring caught the light and sparkled. I saw Mike's glance land on the ring and he gave a nervous gulp. "I don't know, Rosalie, what do you think?" I asked her. She looked at me like I was insane. Subtly, I squeezed her shoulder. She looked down for a fraction of a second, her eyes setting on my sparkling engagement ring before looking back up, comprehension in her eyes. Beside me, I felt Alice brush my hand with hers, signaling she was in on the plan.

Rosalie raised her left hand to her collarbone and placed it where her ring would catch the light. Tyler's eyes widened nervously. "I think it sounds like a lovely idea. What do you think Alice?"

Alice mimicked Rosalie's movement of bringing her left hand to her collarbone and placing it where her ring would catch the light. Eric spotted the sparkling ring and he coughed uncomfortably. "Well, I simply can't join you. You know how much I'm discouraged from being alone with members of the opposite gender."

"Oh, my goodness, I completely forgot about that, Alice. How inconsiderate of me." My left hand flew to my cheek as I spoke, once again throwing the ring into prominence.

"Here, we'll stay with you." Rosalie walked over to Alice and wrapped her left arm around her shoulders, resting her fingers so the ring was visible.

"No, no, you two go." Alice shooed us with her left hand causing the diamonds and sapphires of her ring to sparkle. "I don't want to keep you two from having fun. Go. Enjoy yourselves. I'll just wait here."

"Are you sure, Alice?"

"I'm sure. I'll be fine. It's such a nice day out."

Rosalie turned to Mike, Tyler, and Eric. "Well, then, Bella and I would be glad to join you."

"Erm, actually, well, we're late," Tyler said.

"Late for what?" I asked.

"Um…" Tyler looked nervously at Mike and Eric.

"Um… we have an, um, appointment," Eric interjected.

"Oh, well that's too bad," I cooed, my voice dripping with false sympathy. Rosalie nodded. "We were so looking forward to that walk around the pond, too. Will we see you soon?"

"Um, w-well, m-maybe," Mike stammered. "We better go." Mike, Tyler, and Eric started to walk away.

"It was nice to see you three," Alice called. Each of us waved goodbye with her left hand so that the gold band of our rings were visible. They exchanged on last, nervous look over the rings and hurried away.

Alice, Rosalie, and I burst into laughter as soon as they were gone. "That was brilliant, Bella," Alice said through her laughter. "How ever did you think of that?"

"I was remembering how frazzled they had gotten at the party when Emmett, Edward, and Jasper had shown up to save us. Then the idea came for me. If the guys scare them that much, wouldn't a couple of engagement rings?"

"I can see the logic behind that," Rosalie said. "Obviously, this is just another one of their pitiful attempts to court us. The first time they were scared of by Emmett, Edward, and Jasper because they knew they had no chance. This time, the engagement rings scared them off because they knew they had lost. They couldn't court us and stand a chance of getting us to marry them if we're already engaged. That was quite brilliant, Bella."

"Thank you," I said. We continued walking towards our willow grove. We slipped through the trees and into our safe haven. We walked over to the bench and sat down.

Alice pounced on us immediately. "Alright, now I think I speak for all of us when I say that we need to each tell our stories in full, with as many details as possible. We each need to know exactly what happened. Any volunteers to go first?"

"I'll start," I volunteered. "Where do you want me to begin from?"

"The letter," Rosalie said. Alice nodded.

"Well," I began. "About two weeks ago, I received a letter. There was no name on it and the messenger didn't say who it was from. I only figured out that it was from Edward because of the handwriting. In the letter, he apologized for hurting me and asked me to meet him at the town square, that afternoon, simply to talk. I didn't go."

"So then what happened?" Alice prompted me.

"Three days went by and I didn't hear anything from him. Then he came in person to talk to me. Originally, he only came to ask me why I didn't come to meet him and if it was too late for me to forgive him. I wasn't sure, so he almost left, to give me some time to think."

"Almost?" asked Rosalie.

"I begged him to stay with me at the last second. I just couldn't bear the pain it was causing. At that point, we really started to talk and explained everything. I started asking him all these questions, and he answered them. He told me everything. How Tanya was never really attracted to him, she just wanted him around as some kind of play toy and how he fell for it and…"

"She what?!" shrieked Alice, cutting me off.

"That witch!" Rosalie fumed. "I'm going to kill her for this."

"Why?" I asked. "Edward realized the truth and is through with her. That's all that matters."

"Bella's right," Alice said. "Edward came to his senses and is with Bella again. We should just be happy and move on. Keep going with the story, Bella."

Before I could continue, Rosalie interjected with a question. "So if she only cared about him as an accessory, what happened at the ball?"

"I was getting there. Apparently, Tanya thought it was all an act to make her jealous. Edward realized long before that that he cared more for me than her, but she was deluding herself. By that point he was already consumed with trying to get me to forgive him. Apparently, the plan to have Angela, Jessica, and Lauren lead them to us was their first attempt. It was Jasper's idea."

"And when that didn't work?" Alice questioned.

"Then came the letter. It only took him so long, both to send it and to come see me, because he was afraid. I told him that I was glad he found the courage to come see me. Then the cross-examination began. He started asking me questions. He was mostly interested in why I didn't come to meet him and why I ran away at the masquerade ball."

"And?" Rosalie said.

"And I told him the truth. I told him that I was afraid to look weak by running back to him whenever he apologizes and that I didn't feel ready to forgive him at the time. Then he asked if I felt ready then, and I said yes. He gave me this bouquet of wildflowers he got from the meadow where we first told each other we love each other."

"And now you're engaged," Rosalie said.

"Yes." I smiled. "Now we're engaged."

Alice smiled. "We're so happy for you, Bella." She turned to Rosalie. "Your turn, Rose."

Rosalie sighed. "Fine." She took a deep breath. "After our last conference here, I went home, seriously thinking over what to do and who to be with: Royce or Emmett. By the time I got home, I had made my choice. I told my family and Royce's family that I no longer wanted to marry him. We canceled all the plans, annulled the engagement, and the Kings left. As he left, Royce threatened me, saying I'd regret choosing Emmett over him."

Alice and I gasped. "Is that why he tried to rape you?" I asked.

"Yes. I'm getting ahead of the story though. The next day I went to see Emmett, both to apologize and warn him. It took some convincing, but he finally realized that I was truly sorry and he forgave me. When I went home that night, Royce tried to rape me. Fortunately, Emmett arrived just in time and pulled him off of me. I was so grateful that he rescued me. My parents were even more grateful. Naturally, they agreed to let us get married as thanks."

"And what about Royce?" Alice asked.

"The sheriff has been alerted and is keeping a lookout for him. They've already arrested his accomplice."

"That's good news, I guess," I said.

Rosalie nodded. "Hopefully the catch Royce soon. I'll feel much safer when he's behind bars, even if I have Emmett to protect me."

"I guess you're getting your knight in shining armor after all, aren't you Rose?" Alice joked.

Rosalie smiled. "Yes, and I wouldn't have it any other way." Rosalie and I turned to Alice, expectant.

Alice sighed. "I guess it's my turn, isn't it?" We nodded. "Okay." She thought for a long moment. "About three weeks ago, Jacob and I ended our betrothal. We mutually agreed that it would be better for us to marry other people. He could tell I wasn't happy and he didn't want to force me into the marriage. So we annulled it." "

"Just like that? Jacob wasn't upset or angry or anything?" I asked.

"Yes, just like that."

"So what happened next?" Rosalie asked.

"After we annulled the engagement, I sent a letter to Jasper, hoping he would come and meet me so we could talk. He came and we talked. He seemed so angry at first that I was afraid he wouldn't forgive me. But he did and I found out what he was really feeling."

"And what did he really feel?" I asked her.

"He was jealous. He wanted to be in Jacob's position and be the one loving me. At that point, I told him that he could be the one loving me and that, more importantly, I wanted him to be the one, no one else. At that point, he asked me to marry him and I said yes."

Rosalie laughed. "I will never understand the way my cousin's mind works," she said. Then her face turned serious again. "But what about Jacob? You got your happily ever after, Alice, but where does that leave him?"

"Last I heard from him, he was courting our old friend Lizzie," Alice said. "They met at the masquerade ball."

"That's sweet," Rosalie said. "Lizzie's perfect for him."

I looked around at the long shadows surrounding us. "It's getting late," I said. "We should go." The three of us stood up and starting walking, back through the willow trees and out of the park. We were almost to Rosalie's carriage when I heard someone calling my name.

"Isabella!" I turned. My hand flew up in shock when I saw who it was. Tanya was walking towards me, calling my name. Beside me, Rosalie hissed. Tanya stopped a few feet away from us, suddenly looking uncomfortable.

"Hello, Tanya," Alice said politely.

"Er… hello Alice, Rosalie. How are you?" Tanya asked.

"We're fine," Rosalie said.

"That's nice. Er, Isabella, can I talk to you?"

I started. "Um… sure. Alice, Rose, I'll meet you in the carriage." Alice and Rosalie turned and walked off. I watched them go, then turned back to Tanya. "So, you wanted to talk to me, Tanya?"

"Yes." Tanya looked away. "I owe you an apology, Isabella. I never meant to come in between you and Edward. I just thought that there was something between us and I let things get out of hand. I'm sorry. Can you ever forgive me?"

"Actually, yes." Tanya looked up, surprised. "It was just a misunderstanding, Tanya. They happen all the time, more frequently then we think. I know you didn't mean any intentional harm to Edward and my relationship. You were just looking for love and you thought you found it with him. It just wasn't meant to be, but I'm sure that someday, you'll find someone as perfect for you as Edward is for me."

Tanya smiled. "Thank you, Isabella."

"You're welcome, Tanya. Oh, and feel free to call me Bella." Suddenly, Kate and Irina drifted over to us, Carmen, Eleazar, Garrett, and a fourth person behind them.

"Is everything all better, sister?" Kate asked, wrapping an arm around Tanya's shoulders.

"Yes," Tanya said. "Everything is fine. Bella and I aren't mad at each other anymore."

"Good," said Irina, draping an arm over Kate's so it was also looped around Tanya's shoulders. "We don't like it when our friend is fighting with our sister." She turned to me. "How are you, Bella?"

"I'm fine," I answered. "How are you both?"

Kate laughed. "I'm doing great."

"Just great?" Garrett said, coming over and wrapping an arm around her waist. "Just great? Nothing more?"

"Garrett, sweetie, you know as well as I do that I can hardly wait for our wedding next month." She turned to me. "You'll be there, right Bella?"

"Of course," I promised her. "And how are you doing, Irina?"

"I'm…. lovely," Irina said. "Actually, I have a bit of good news, but it's not public yet, so promise you won't say anything?"

"Not even to Alice and Rosalie?"

"You can tell them, but no one else."

"I promise not to say anything to anyone but Alice and Rosalie. So what's the good news?"

Irina smiled. "I'm engaged."

"Congratulations! To who?" Someone wrapped an arm around Irina. I looked up at their face and received a pleasant shock as I recognized them. "Laurent! How nice to see you again."

"You too, Isabella." He looked down at Irina. "I thought we had to keep our engagement a secret, Irina."

"We can trust Bella, dear," Irina said. "She's my friend. She won't tell."

"I promise I won't tell, but what I pleasant surprise," I said. "I wasn't aware you two knew each other."

"We met at the masquerade ball," Laurent explained. "It was another one of Carlisle and Esme's matchmaking attempts."

I laughed. "Carlisle and Esme seem to be getting better and better at matchmaking everyday. This would be their fourth successful attempt in less than half a year."

"What do you mean, Bella?" Carmen asked, interjecting herself into the conversation.

"Alice, Rosalie, and I are all engaged to gentlemen we met through Carlisle and Esme," I explained.

"Congratulations," Kate said. "What are their names?"

"Well, Rosalie's engaged to Emmett McCarty," I said. "And Alice is engaged to Jasper Whitlock."

"That's lovely for both of them," Carmen said. "And who are you engaged to, Bella?"

"I think you all know him," I said. "His name is Edward Masen."

Tanya was the first to respond. "Congratulations. I'm so happy for you both."

Eleazar was next. "I happen to know all three of your fiancés well and I will attest that you are all very lucky people. Congratulations Bella. Would you be so kind as to pass on my congratulations to your fiancé and your friends?"

"Mine too," interjected Kate.

"Mine as well," added Irina.

"Please include mine as well, Bella," Carmen requested.

"In addition to mine, of course," said Garrett.

"Give them my congratulations also," said Laurent.

I smiled. "I will."

"Thank you dear," Carmen smiled. She glanced over my shoulder. "I think Alice and Rosalie are getting a bit impatient dear. You should go." She hugged me.

Eleazar was next. "It was wonderful to see you again, Bella."

"It was wonderful to see you, too," I said.

Garrett and Laurent both gave me a pleasant hand shake goodbye. Tanya, Irina, and Kate all hugged me and made me promise that we would all spend a little time together between our various weddings. Finally, I said my last goodbyes and walked over to Alice and Rosalie.

"Sorry that took so long," I apologized as we climbed into Rosalie's carriage.

"It's okay, Bella," Alice said. "But we're dreadfully curious: what did Tanya want?"

"She apologized for coming in between me and Edward," I told them. Their mouths dropped open. "She said she didn't mean to ruin our relationship, she just thought that they had something and she let things get out of hand."

"Did you forgive her?" Rosalie asked.

I nodded. "It was the right thing to do. Holding a grudge against her will get me nowhere. It's better to forgive her."

Alice smiled. "I'm glad to hear that, Bella." She turned to Rosalie. "We really should all get home. It's getting late."

"We should," Rosalie said. She turned to her driver and gave him instructions to go first to my house, then Alice's, then hers. We set off immediately.

When we reached my house, I started to get out of my carriage, then I remembered an important question and had for Alice and Rosalie. "I almost forgot," I said. "I want you two to be my bridesmaids at my and Edward's wedding. I'm pretty sure Emmett and Jasper are going to be groomsmen."

"On one condition," Alice said. "Only if you both are bridesmaids at my wedding."

"The same condition applies to me as well," Rosalie said.

I laughed. "So I guess we're each other's bridesmaids?"

Alice laughed too. "Yes, we are."

Rosalie joined the laughter. "Good."

I smiled. "I'll see you both soon; we need to pick out dresses." Alice and Rosalie nodded in agreement. With that, I climbed out of the carriage and watched my two best friends ride off into the distance.

**Betcha didn't see some of that coming. Who woulda thought that Mike, Eric, and Tyler would make a reappearance after a 24-chapter absence? And who woulda thought that Tanya would apologize? I'm just full of surprises, aren't I?**

**K, so I'm going out of town soon, but I'll try to update once more before then, and at least one more time after that before my winter break ends. Hopefully, this story should wrap by M.L.K. weekend, and then..... on to the boys' version!**

**As always, I love you all and don't forget to review!**

**xoxoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212**


	27. Here Comes the Bride

**I'm being true to my word here, people. I'm guessing a lot of my die-hard fans haven't read the last chapter yet, thus explaining the lack of reviews, but I promised another chappie before I leave. I considered being evil and making you wait, but then I realized it just wasn't worth it. I have this chapter all written up; I might as well post it. Besides, this way, when I come back, I can open up my e-mail and see all your lovely reviews waiting for me. So, here it is, Chapter 27!**

**A quick A/N: I apologize in advance if it's crap. I've only attended a few of these in my life and I can only remember the events of one. Also, the experience of Jewish ones aren't the best jumping off point for writing about non-Jewish ones, so just bare with me if it sucks. Three chappies and it'll all be over.**

**Disclaimer: Why the hell would I bother writing fan fictions if I was Stephenie Meyer? There's no logic there, people!**

Chapter 27 – Here Comes the Bride (Rosalie's POV)

_**Four months later…**_

The big day was here. All the guests were waiting in the chapel, the bouquets were ready, and Alice, Bella, and I were having the final touches put on our hair. Just downstairs, Emmett was waiting for me under the altar. Just a short ceremony, a few quick words, and he would be mine forever.

"Are you nervous, Rose?" Bella asked me. She and Alice both wore dusty rose pink dresses. Matching bouquets of dusty pink roses lay on a table nearby, waiting for them until they were ready. I smiled.

"I'm fine," I said. "A little nervous, but that's to be expected."

"Of course it is, Rose," Alice said. "But really, you shouldn't be worried. You look gorgeous."

I smiled. My dress had been custom designed especially for me. The bodice was tight, with a square neckline, decorated in lace and pearls. The skirt was very full, and flared out widely from the bodice. The sleeves were sheer, loose and slightly puffy up to my elbows, where they were cinched with elastic. They flared outward from the elastic. They were made from the same flower-patterned lace as my veil. My blonde hair was twisted up into an elegant but simple bun under the veil. "Thank you, Alice," I said. "You both look beautiful too."

Bella and Alice smiled. Their dresses were less elaborate variants on mine. They had the same square neckline, tight bodice, wide skirt (though mine was wider), and lace sleeves. The only differences were that their sleeves were made of plain, unpatterned lace and the bodice bore no decorations. Still, I knew that Edward and Jasper would think they both looked beautiful. "Thank you, Rose," they both said.

My father appeared in the room. "Girls, it's time," he said. Alice and Bella grabbed their bouquets of roses and I grabbed my bouquet of white roses and violets. I hadn't originally wanted the violets as part of the flowers, but Emmett had persuaded me, saying they matched the color of my eyes and would set them off perfectly. Of course, he had been right.

Slowly, the four of us made our way to the chapel. I couldn't see inside, but I knew that all of my friends and family were in there, waiting to witness what I hoped would be my finest moment yet. As we got closer, we could see Edward and Jasper waiting for the cue for the groomsmen and bridesmaids. As the four of us approached, both of them took one look at their fiancés and smiled broadly. They each took their fiancé's hand, pulling her towards them. "You look beautiful," they both whispered, earning two smiles and a blush from Bella and Alice. Piano music drifted out towards us, unfamiliar and unknown. I felt a flurry of nerves as the music slowly morphed into a traditional wedding march.

"Isabella, Edward, Alice, Jasper, that's your cue," my father said. My two best friends placed their hands lightly on their fiancés' arms and lined up, Alice and Jasper in front, Bella and Edward behind them. Alice and Jasper started walking, disappearing into the chapel. Bella and Edward waited five seconds, then followed them into the chapel and down the aisle. I heard muffled whispers coming from inside, no doubt about how beautiful my two best friends looked and how handsome their fiancés were. My father took my hand and placed it on his arm. "Are you ready, Rosalie, dear?"

I nodded. "I'm ready." The music trilled as I spoke.

My father smiled. "That's our cue." Slowly, we walked to the door and stopped right in the doorway. Everyone in the room turned to look at me and I heard several gasps.

My eyes searched the room, settling on the altar straight ahead of me. Flowers sprung in profusion from the poles supporting it and lined the top. Thin, gauzy silk created a thin screen between the flowers. The minister stood at the very back. Off to the right stood Mr. McCarty. Edward and Jasper stood one step down, slightly to the side and slightly behind of Mr. McCarty. Alice and Bella stood in the same position on the other side, behind where my father would stand. My eyes then roved over to the center of the altar and I had to stifle a gasp of my own.

Emmett stood there, dashingly handsome in a black suit, a single violet and white rose pinned to his lapel. As his eyes took me in, he smiled the widest I had ever seen, radiating love and adoration. I smiled back and slowly started walking up the aisle with my father.

It felt like an eternity that I was walking; the aisle was so long. Finally, we reached the altar. Emmett stood waiting, his hand outstretched slightly, knowing what would come next. My father took my hand and slowly placed it in Emmett outstretched one. Emmett's hand wrapped tightly around mine and he slowly helped me up the short flight of stairs to stand next to him. I heard my father moving into place and then the minister began.

"Dearly beloved," he said. "We are gathered here today in the sign of God – and in the face of this company – to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony." He continued on through the traditional vows, finally reaching one of the moments I had been waiting for. "Do you, Emmett McCarty, take Rosalie Hale to be your wife – to live together after God's ordinance – in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon her your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Emmett said, squeezing my hand slightly as he did.

"Do you, Rosalie Hale, take Emmett McCarty to be your husband – to live together after God's ordinance – in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon him your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," I said. I was so overwhelmed by all of the passion around me that it was difficult to keep my voice steady.

It was now time to exchange the rings. Our ring-bearer, my friend Vera's son Henry, brought them to the minister. He said a few more words, then handed one to Emmett. Emmett turned to me. He took my left hand in his. "Rosalie Hale," he said. "You are now consecrated to me as my wife from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed." He slid the ring onto my finger.

Now it was my turn. The minister handed me the ring and I turned back to Emmett, taking his left hand in mine. "Emmett McCarty," I said. "You are now consecrated to me as my husband from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed." I slid the ring onto his finger. Together, we turned back to the minister.

The minister began intoning the pronouncement and I found myself wishing he would hurry up. Finally, he reached the second point I wanted. "And so," he said. "By the power vested in me by the State of Washington and Almighty God, I now pronounce you man and wife – and may your days be good and long upon the earth."

_Say it,_ I thought to myself. _Say it._

"You may now kiss the bride."

Emmett and I slowly turned to look at each other. For a second, neither of us moved. He took a step closer to me, and the next thing I knew, his hands were at the small of back, holding me to him as he kissed me with more passion then I could ever imagine. My arms twined around his neck and I pulled myself closer to him, kissing him back with as much passion as I could.

I don't know how long we stood like this, arms around each other, kissing as if this were our last day together. I heard either Alice or Bella give a very pointed cough, as if to say _enough._ Finally, our lips split apart, but our arms stayed locked around each other. A few people in the audience tittered nervously. We let go of each other, slightly embarrassed. At once, we were surrounded by a flurry of "Congratulations!" As our friends and family continued to applaud and cheer, I turned to Emmett.

"I think we went a little overboard with that kiss," I said.

Emmett laughed. "We did," he said. "Still, I have no regrets."

"Neither do I."

"Good." He reached down and took my hand.

"I love you, Emmett McCarty."

"I love you too, Rosalie McCarty." I smiled at the sound of my new name. "It sounds beautiful, doesn't it?" Emmett asked me.

"So much so," I said. "You can't imagine."

"Oh," Emmett said, pulling me to him. "I think I can." He lowered his head to mine and kissed me again. Immediately, I forgot about everything else around me. Instead, I focused all my energy into the kiss, pouring all my love into it and receiving all of Emmett's love in return. _I knew I made the right choice,_ was the last thought that ran through my head before thinking became impossible.

**Well, there you have it. Emmett and Rosalie are happily married. Again, sorry if the ceremony was crap, people. And to answer the question now, no, I'm not writing the reception. You can just imagine what happened in those pretty little heads of yours.**

**Don't forget to review, darlings. I love you all! Happy holidays!**

**xoxoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212**


	28. Say 'I Do'

**Before we begin, I'd just like to thank all the people who reviewed the last chapter. I was feeling really iffy about it, cause (a) I've never written weddings before and (b) I've never even been to a wedding that wasn't a Jewish one, so I wasn't sure the chappie would turn out good. But since everyone reassured me it was, I believe you people. Now then, on to the next chapter! (Yes, I'm being good to my word here. How many authors do you know who do that?)**

**On another happy note: WE'VE HIT 125 REVIEWS!!!!!!!!! YOU PEOPLE ROCK!!! No, seriously, YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!!!! Do you think it's possible to hit 150 in only three chapters (this plus the two final chappies in the process (yes, I know, we are almost at the end *tears up*))? Come on people, I'm counting on you. Don't let me down!**

**Disclaimer: It's still not mine. And it's a good thing too, cause all those Summit Entertainment producers would be dead for (a) trying to change the book and (b) thinking about replacing Taylor Lautner if I were Stephenie Meyer. So, since they are all still alive, the only logical conclusion is that (sadly) I am not Stephenie Meyer.**

Chapter 28 – Say 'I Do' (Alice's POV)

_**One month later…**_

I stood in front of a long mirror, turning my body this way and that, eyeing the wedding dress I wore with speculation. "I knew I should have gone with the…"

"Stop it, Alice," Rosalie said. "You look beautiful and you know it."

I sighed. "I guess you're right, Rosalie."

Bella laughed. "You guess?" She and Rosalie grabbed my elbows and spun me to face the mirror. "Look at yourself Alice. You're a vision. Jasper is going to think you are the most beautiful woman in the world."

"He already does," I pointed out.

"Well, this will just reaffirm it, then," Rosalie said.

"I guess," I said absently. I was too busy studying the woman in the mirror. She wore a long white dress with a tight bodice and full skirt. The neckline was a wide triangle, showing off most of her collarbone, but hiding her shoulders. It flowed into tight sleeves, all the way down to her wrists. The bodice had silvery laces criss-crossing across it, like a corset, and the skirt had a silvery vine design going from the bottom up. A satin bow accentuated her tiny waist. A lacy veil, held in place by a circlet of white roses, fell over her elaborately styled dark hair and her eyes glowed. "You know something? You two are right. I do look beautiful."

Bella and Rosalie laughed. "See?" Bella said. "We told you." I glowered at her. She laughed again and wrapped me in a hug.

"Careful, Bella," Rosalie said. "You don't want to ruin your dress. Alice might just kill you." Bella immediately stepped back and smoothed her hands over her dress, making sure nothing was out of place.

"Don't worry, Bella, you look fine," I said. "You both do." And it was true. Their dresses were exact replicas of mine, only in blue. Each of them wore a circlet made of bluebells to match their dresses, their bouquets, and the flowers on the groomsmen's lapels. "How's the weather looking?"

Bella looked out the window. "Still cloudy," she said. I groaned. What was I thinking, having my wedding outdoors? The weather was going to ruin it for sure.

"It's not too late to move the ceremony indoors, is it?" I asked.

"Alice, stop worrying," Rosalie told me. "Everything will be just fine. It's not going to rain and you're going to have your dream wedding. You just need to relax."

I took a deep, calming breath and nodded. My father chose that exact moment to walk into the room and say "Alice, honey, it's time."

I immediately started panicking. "Oh, god, I'm not ready for this."

Bella and Rosalie immediately grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look at them. "Alice, listen to us. Do you love Jasper?" Bella asked.

"Of course," I said.

"And do you want to spend the rest of your life with him?" Rosalie questioned.

"Yes."

"Then you're ready," they said simultaneously.

I took a deep breath. "I'm ready," I repeated. They smiled before stuffing a bouquet of white roses into my hands. They grabbed their bouquets of bluebells before following my father and I down the stairs and out to the winding path to the garden where the ceremony would be held. Tall hedges marked the point where it began; the point where, once I passed, there was no turning back.

When we reached the path, Emmett and Edward stood waiting for us. They smiled when they saw us, and each of them reached out to take their lover's hand, pulling her to their side. We lined up in the order we would enter – Bella and Edward first, Rosalie and Emmett behind them, my father and I last – and started walking up the path. For a while, the grass crunching lightly under our footsteps was the only noise. Then we could hear the faint sounds of a harp and flutes, growing louder with every step. Finally we reached the turn in the path that would bring us in full view of the crowd. Now that we were close, I could hear that the music was the traditional march, wind light from the instruments.

"Isabella, Edward, you can start walking now. Rosalie, Emmett, wait five seconds and then follow them." Bella placed her hand lightly on Edward's arm and they started walking, turning the corner and disappearing into the open area. I heard muffled whispers as they appeared. Five seconds past and Rosalie and Emmett assumed the same position and followed Bella and Edward. More muffled whispers.

Half a minute passed, presumably giving my friends enough time to walk all the way down the aisle. The music flared, and my father pressed my hand to his arm. "I love you, Alice," he whispered.

"I love you too, dad," I whispered back. We started walking. As we rounded the corner and came into view, everyone gasped. At that same second, the clouds parted, casting a blanket of sunlight over the whole scene. I looked up and found Jasper standing underneath a canopy of roses and bluebells. The sun caused his blond hair to shine and his deep blue eyes glimmered with more adoration and trust then I had ever seen. I smiled shyly at him and his answering smile was reassuring. Slowly, my father and I began walking up the aisle. When we reached the altar, my father placed my hand in Jasper's and stepped back slowly. Our hands still interlocked, Jasper and I turned back towards the minister, who immediately began.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the sign of God – and in the face of this company – to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony." The minister continued talking; preaching about how marriage was holy and should not be taken lightly for what seemed like eternity. The only part I remember was when the minister asked who gave me in marriage to Jasper. My dad had had the most proud smile on his face when he answered. I knew that as much as he never wanted to have to give me, his baby girl, away in marriage, he was happy that if he did, at least it would be Jasper, somebody he could trust to care for me always.

Finally, it came time for the vows. The minister turned to Jasper first. "Do you, Jasper Whitlock, take Alice Brandon to be your wife – to live together after God's ordinance – in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon her your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Jasper said. He squeezed my hand tightly to reaffirm his words.

The minister turned to me. "Do you, Alice Brandon, take Jasper Whitlock to be your husband – to live together after God's ordinance – in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon him your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," I said, squeezing Jasper's hand back. The minister then called upon us to present the rings. Our ring-bearer, my sister Cynthia's son, came forward with the rings. The minister patted my nephew on the head before taking the rings and resuming his prattling. Finally, he handed a ring to Jasper.

Jasper turned to me and took my left hand. "Alice Brandon," he said. "You are now consecrated to me as my wife from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed." Ever so gently, he slid the ring onto my finger.

The minister handed me the second ring. I took Jasper's left hand in mine, and began to speak. "Jasper Whitlock, you are now consecrated to me as my husband from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed." Just as gently, I slid the ring onto his finger.

"May you always share with each other the gifts of love," the minister said, beginning on the pronouncement. He continued on for another minute or two before finally saying, "And so, by the power vested in me by the State of Washington and Almighty God, I now pronounce you man and wife – and may your days be good and long upon the earth. You may kiss the bride."

Jasper and I turned to each other, our hands intertwined. Slowly, Jasper leaned in towards me and ever so gently pressed his lips to mine. I pulled my hands out from his and placed them on either side of his face, pulling him the tiniest bit closer, deepening the kiss ever so slightly. His hands found my waist, but he didn't pull me closer; he just held me tightly, silently conveying what I already knew: that he loved me and would never let me go.

After a few seconds, our lips broke apart. As our friends and families began to cheer, my hands slipped lower, wrapping around Jasper's neck and hugging him to me. His arms wrapped themselves tighter around my waist. I looked up at him, a smile on my face, and saw his answering smile stretch wide across his perfect face. "I love you, Jasper Whitlock," I whispered to him.

"I love you too, Alice Whitlock," he whispered back. "And I'm glad to know that I can trust you to keep the promises you made to me."

I thought back to the day in the willow grove, letting the memory of my promises wash over me. "And I'm glad I can trust you enough to help me keep those promises."

Jasper quickly pressed a kiss on my lips. "You heard what I said today. I'll always be here for you, Alice. Trust me when I say that I will never leave you. Ever."

"Of course I trust you," I said. And it was true. Trust was the root of what Jasper and I shared. We loved each other, of course, but in the end, love wasn't enough. We had always had our love, but we nearly lost each other because we were missing the trust. Now that we had both, we could finally be together and be happy. And as I looked up at Jasper's passion filled eyes and triumphant smile, I realized that for right now, that was all I need.

**Okay, I kinda got a little fluffy with the ending there, but I just felt that it works for Alice and Jasper. They just seem to me like the couple with so much of their relationship's base rooted in trust, you know? Okay, enough nonsense. Go review!**

**xoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212**


	29. Til Death Do Us Part

**DON'T KILL ME!!!! I'm really really sorry I haven't updated in a while. Live's just been busier than I thought. But I promise to make it up to you guys. How does Bella and Edward's wedding, the last chapter of A Different Kind of World (*cries*), and the first version of the boys' version (*perks up*) sound? Well, you're getting all of it this weekend, so be happy!**

**Disclaimer: Not even**

**And without further ado.... chapter 29, Bella and Edward's wedding!**

Chapter 29 – Til Death Do Us Part (Bella's POV)

_**One month later…**_

The big day was finally here. In just one short hour, I would no longer be Isabella Swan. Instead, I would be Isabella Masen. The idea flooded me with joy, even though I was trembling with nerves.

"How are you feeling, Bella?" asked Rosalie. "You look really pale." She and Rosalie stood over me, worried looks on their faces. We were in Mrs. Masen's bedroom, waiting for my father to come and get us so we could head downstairs and to the meadow.

"I'm just nervous, that's all," I said. "You both look really beautiful," I added as an afterthought, trying to distract them. Their dresses were silver, high-necked, tight through the sleeves and bodice with flowing skirts. Each of them wore a different colored circlet of wildflowers, handpicked from my and Edward's meadow that morning. Rosalie's was purple, to set off her eyes, while Alice's was yellow, to stand out against her dark hair. The whole look was very simple, yet very elegant. I knew their husbands would approve.

"Thank you, Bella, though, honestly, nobody is going to be looking at us, not while you're in the room," said Alice. I sighed, even though I knew she was right. My dress was cut exactly like theirs: same high neck, same tight bodice and sleeves, same flowing skirt. Mine was also more embellished. Tiny pearls were sown into the front of the bodice and silver sparkles created a curling pattern across the skirt. My hair hung loosely down my back, covered to just below my shoulders with a nearly sheer lace veil, held in place by five white roses pined at the front. On each side of the roses was a silver hair comb, a gift from my parents. Blue sapphires were clustered atop the teeth, forming intricate flower patterns.

"I still can't believe it's really happening," I mused, half to myself, half to Alice and Rosalie. "I mean, ten months ago, we had just met Emmett, Jasper, and Edward, and now look at us. You both are married and I'm about to be as well. Where did all the time go?"

"That's a very good question, Bella," Rosalie said. "I've asked myself that a couple of times, to be honest. So, so much has changed since that first ball. More than we could have ever imagined."

"Do either of you regret any of the decisions you made?" Alice wondered.

"I do," said Rosalie. "I regret ever even thinking that Royce could be the man for me. I belong with Emmett and no one else. I can't believe I was foolish enough to think that anyone else could take his place. I almost let him go."

"I know what you mean, Rosalie. I regret not trusting Edward when he said he loved me," I replied. "If I had believed him, I would never have almost lost him." I looked over at Alice. "What about you, Alice? Do you have any regrets?"

"I regret not fighting harder against my parents' decision," Alice sighed. "Knowing I had to let go of Jasper was agonizing. I thought I would never feel the same way I felt with him again, that I would never truly be able to love again. But by some miracle, I am."

"We are all very fortunate, aren't we?" I asked. "I mean, we have loving families, loving friends, loving husbands, and most importantly, we have each other. We have everything we could ever ask for and more."

"You're right, Bella," Alice agreed. "We are lucky."

"It's true," Rosalie added. "We all wound up getting our happy ending. How many people can truly say they got theirs?"

"How many indeed?" I mused quietly as my father entered the room.

"Bella, honey, it's time," my father said. "Are you all ready?"

"I just need my bouquet," I said.

"Here," Alice said, stuffing a frothy white bouquet into my hands. The scent of roses, freesias, orange blossoms, and lilacs instantly enveloped me in a calming cloud. I brought the bouquet closer to my nose and inhaled deeper, picking out a fifth fragrance, so subtle that no one else would notice. I smiled. Unbeknownst to Alice and Rosalie, I had picked a few of the soft white wildflowers from my and Edward's meadow when I had been picking flowers for their circlets and had slid them into my bouquet. I knew Alice would never approve, which is why I had done it in secret.

I looked over at Alice and Rosalie to make sure they were ready too. They stood side by side, their circlets in their hair and their bouquets in their hands. "I'm ready," I said. We walked down the stairs and outside, where we found Emmett and Jasper waiting. They smiled in approval when they saw Alice and Rosalie. Together, the six of us started down the path to the meadow. When we were about three quarters of the way there, we stopped. We could hear Esme playing the piano, an unfamiliar tune. The music morphed right then into a traditional march, surrounded by a flood of embellishments.

"Rosalie, Emmett, that's your cue," my father said. Rosalie placed her hand on Emmett's arm and they started walking. Half a minute later, Alice and Jasper followed them. I heard the sound of people whispering as one couple entered the meadow, then the other. My father and I waited until we could hear the second round of whispering before walking closer to the meadow. "I love you, Bells," my father said as he placed my hand on his arm.

"I love you too, father," I answered. The music trilled as I spoke and my father and I began to walk. As soon as we appeared in the clearing, people started to whisper and I felt a familiar blush color my face. My eyes roved over the masses of flowers and people, searching for the one person who mattered most to me in this moment.

I found him at the farthest edge of the meadow, waiting under a canopy of flowers and leaves. My breath caught in my throat as I took in the sight before me. Never before had I seen Edward look so handsome. In that moment, he reminded me of Adonis, the Greek god. His eyes roved over me, then he looked up and met my gaze, an exultant and loving smile blossoming on his face. I felt light-headed; it was only my father's grip on mine that kept me from running down the aisle to him.

Thankfully, the aisle was short. Edward stood before me, waiting, his hand out. My father took my hand and gently placed it in his. As soon as I felt his familiar touch, I was at home. Together, we turned to face Carlisle.

"Dearly beloved," Carlisle began. "We are gathered together here in the sign of God – and in the face of this company – to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony." He continued on, reading the vows we had heard so many times before. "Who gives this woman in marriage to this man?" he asked.

"Her family and friends gathered here today do," my father answered, speaking the traditional line said by every father who had ever given their daughter in marriage.

Carlisle nodded slightly and continued with the ceremony, finally reaching the vows. Carlisle turned to Edward first. "Do you, Edward Masen, take Isabella Swan to be your wife – to live together after God's ordinance – in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon her your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Edward said, his voice ringing clear and victorious.

Carlisle turned to face me. "Do you, Isabella Swan, take Edward Masen to be your husband – to live together after God's ordinance – in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon him your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," I managed to choke out, my voice no more than an unintelligible whisper.

Carlisle then called forward the ring bearer, who happened to be his and Esme's son. He brought Carlisle the rings. Carlisle took them and turned back to Edward and I. He handed one to Edward, who turned to me and took my left hand in his. "Isabella Swan," he said, "You are now consecrated to me as my wife from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed." He slid the ring onto my finger.

Carlisle handed me the other ring and I turned back to Edward. "Edward Masen," I said, "You are now consecrated to me as my husband from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed." I slid the ring onto his finger and we turned back to Carlisle, who began on the pronouncement.

After a minute, Carlisle said, "And so, by the power vested in me by the State of Washington and Almighty God, I now pronounce you man and wife – and may your days be good and long upon the earth. You may kiss the bride." Edward took my face in his hands, holding it gently, like it was one of the many delicate white petals that fluttered above our heads and fell around us. He leaned in slowly and gently pressed his lips to mine. My arms snaked up, wrapping around his neck, as his moved lower and wrapped around my waist.

Too soon, our lips broke apart. As our family and friends started to cheer, Edward leaned his forehead against mine, a victorious smile on his face. "I love you, Isabella Masen," he whispered to me.

"I love you too, Edward Masen," I whispered.

Edward smiled wider and quickly kissed my lips. "That's why we're here," he whispered.

I nodded in agreement and smiled. "That's why we're here."

**There. All three of Twilight's golden couples are as good as together. So there's no reason to hate me anymore, is there?**

**Final chappie tomorrow, if you guys review. If you don't, you're waiting til next Saturday. SO REVIEW!!!! I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO BE MEAN!!! BUT I WILL BE IF YOU DON'T REVIEW!!!**

**xoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212**


	30. Epilogue: Happily Ever After

**BIG NEWS!!!! I HAVE ANOTHER NEW STORY!!!! Yes, you heard me. I have a new story. I have published the first chapter of the boys version of this. I figured it was appropriate, since this is the last chapter, that they be published at the same time. So, once you finish reading this, go search for A Different Kind of World: The Boys, read that, and review, okay?**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything, alright? Yeesh!**

Chapter 30 – Epilogue: Happily Ever After (Rosalie's POV)

_**Seven years later…**_

"Ssh, don't cry," I cooed to the baby boy in my lap. Gently, I picked up my six month old son, Paul, and started bouncing him up and down. His tears slowly stopped and he giggled. "Oh, you like that? Do you like bouncing up and down, Paul?" He giggled some more, his brown eyes – Emmett's eyes – widening in excitement. I bounced him a few more times, then settled him in my lap, gently rocking him back and forth so he would sleep. I heard a tiny yawn escape his lips as he snuggled closer to me and fell asleep. I stayed where I was, turning my head to watch the four young children playing in Bella and Edward's massive back yard. I watched my oldest child, my five year old daughter Violet, engage in a picnic tea party with her best friend, Bella and Edward's five year old daughter Renesmee. Her hair – curly like Emmett's, but with my color – sparkled in the setting sun and her eyes – perfect duplicates of mine, down to the stunning violet color – were alight with enjoyment as she and Renesmee sipped at their pretend tea.

In the background of their tea party, two little boys were running around, trying to attack each other with toys swords. It was the little brunette boy who I watched. Anthony Masen, Renesmee's twin brother and Violet's betrothed. The children were close friends, so Bella, Edward, Emmett, and I had figured it was just natural. As Bella had put it, we were all meant to be family, and now it would partially be true. I smiled at the memory. I was so wrapped up in watching the children play that I didn't notice Emmett join me until he spoke.

"They're growing up so fast, aren't they?" he asked me. "Next thing you know, we'll be sitting here watching Paul run around this yard instead of holding him in our laps, asleep."

I laughed, then sighed wistfully. "It's true," I said. "I still remember when Violet would love nothing more than to curl up in one of our laps and sleep. Now, she's all about dress up and tea parties with Renesmee. Soon, it will be society parties and boys. Before you know it, she'll be all grown up and marrying Anthony. She won't be our little girl anymore."

"She'll always be our little girl, even when we have grandchildren," Emmett said, wrapping one arm around my shoulders and the other over my right arm, so he was holding Paul too. "Just like Paul will always be our little boy. That much will never change."

I looked out across the scene in front of me. My little girl with her best friend, my best friends, my baby in my arms, and my husband by my side. We were all going to grow older and change, but who we were to each other would always remain the same. This happily ever after would never be taken away from us. Emmett was right. This was never, ever going to change and I was perfectly okay with that.

_Alice's POV_

I picked up my five month old baby daughter, Mary, from my lap and cradled her in my arms. Carefully, so as not to wake her, I stood up and walked over to the railing around the edge of the porch so I could watch my son better. Peter raced around the yard, brandishing a toy sword in his hand. Bella and Edward's son, Anthony, chased after him, a similar toy sword in hand. Peter had gotten his father's honey blond hair and my hazel eyes. It was a good pairing and I knew my son would be very handsome when he was older, like his father. Of course, finding him a wife wasn't going to be a problem at all. We had already agreed with Edward and Bella that he would marry their daughter, Renesmee, when they were older.

Mary stirred slightly and I started rocking her back and forth, crooning one of her favorite lullabies as I did. She rolled over slightly and it took me a few seconds to get her into a more comfortable position. I felt a small hand tugging on my skirt and looked down. Violet stood there, hand wrapped around my skirt, Renesmee behind her. "Aunt Alice," Violet asked. "Can Renesmee and I play with Mary?" I smiled. Even though Jasper and I weren't her biological aunt and uncle, Violet still called us that, as did Anthony and Renesmee. Bella and Edward were "Aunt Bella" and "Uncle Edward" to Violet and Peter, just like Rosalie and Emmett were "Aunt Rosalie" and "Uncle Emmett" to Anthony, Renesmee, and Peter.

I turned my attention back to my 'nieces.' "Mary's sleeping right now, girls, but I promise you when she wakes up you can play with her," I answered.

"Yay!" Renesmee and Violet cheered. They both hugged me before running back to their tea party. I smiled as I watched them go. Suddenly, I felt a pair of arms wrap around me, positioning themselves so they held Mary as well as wrapped around me. I tilted my head back, looking up and meeting Jasper's navy blue eyes. He leaned his head down and quickly kissed me on the lips. "I'm sorry that took so long," he said. "She wasn't any trouble, was she?"

"Of course not," I said. "She just slept the whole way through."

"Good," Jasper said, hugging me closer. I leaned back into him with a sigh.

I felt my eyes scanning over the yard, taking in the scene of pure happiness before me. "Can you believe how close we came to not having this?" I mused to Jasper, gently jutting my chin in the direction of the vast yard spread out in front of us.

Jasper kissed the top of my head. "We have this now. That's what matters."

I twisted slightly in Jasper's arms and kissed him lightly. "You're right. We all got our happy ending. That's what matters."

_Bella's POV_

I sat on a small couch in my backyard, watching my two children, Renesmee and Anthony, play in our backyard. I smiled as I watched Renesmee partake in a tea party with Violet, Rosalie and Emmett's daughter. The two had set up their party in a patch of sun, so Renesmee's long, bronze ringlets – a product of Edward's color paired with my dad's curly texture – glowed. Her chocolate brown eyes – exact copies of mine – were alight with excitement. In the background of this tea party, her twin brother, Anthony, chased his friend Peter, Alice and Jasper's son, brandishing a toy sword. His hair – brown like mine, but with Edward's appearance of casual disarray – ruffled in the wind and his green eyes – Edward's eyes – sparkled with concentration as he plotted how to finally corner Peter. Seeing the prominent resemblance of my children to their father, I felt tears brimming in my eyes.

I wiped my eyes and sighed. Three months ago, Edward had left on a trip related to his work. Two weeks later, after missing my third consecutive period and beginning to vomit frequently, I had realized the shocking truth: I was pregnant. I was pregnant and Edward was gone for who knew how long. Now I was six months pregnant and Edward still hadn't returned. I was getting worried. If he didn't return home within the next month and a half, I was forced to presume that he was dead, and remarry. I immediately shied away from that thought. I knew that Edward was still alive and would be home soon. But how soon was soon?

"Mother," said a high, soprano voice. I looked down and found Renesmee standing by the edge of the couch, Anthony behind her. "What's wrong, mother? Why are you crying?" I hadn't realized that the tears had spilled over. I reached up and wiped under my eye. Sure enough, I pulled my fingers back and they were moist.

I pulled out a handkerchief and dried my eyes. "I'm fine, Renesmee, Anthony," I said. "I just miss your father, that's all."

Renesmee and Anthony exchanged a look. They climbed onto the couch on either side of me and hugged me as best as two five year olds could. "We miss him too, mother," Anthony said.

I wrapped an arm around each of them. "I know, children, I know. But we still have the rest of our family. We have Aunt Alice and Aunt Rosalie, Uncle Emmett and Uncle Jasper, Peter, Violet, Mary, Paul, each other…"

"And baby!" Renesmee said, placing a tiny hand on my stomach. "Our little brother or sister."

"Yes, and baby," I agreed. "Oh, and father. Even if he isn't here, he loves all of us."

"Will father be home soon, mother?" Anthony asked.

"Father will be home very soon," promised a velvety voice. I looked up in shock. Edward stood several yards away, smiling, taking in the scene in front of him.

"Father!" Renesmee and Anthony yelled in joy. They climbed off the couch quickly and ran at Edward, wrapping their small arms around him, hugging him. He laughed his musical laugh and bent down, picking one of them up in each arm and holding them close. They threw their arms around his neck and hugged him tighter.

"Renesmee, Anthony," he said, pulling his head back and looking at each of their faces. "How are my two favorite children?"

"Is it really you, father?" Renesmee asked.

"It's really me," Edward promised her.

"What are you doing home, father?" Anthony asked.

"My trip is over. I'm home to stay," Edward said.

"Yay!" My two children cheered. I smiled as I watched the picture before me. It was almost perfect; one small thing was missing. Suddenly, I realized what it was.

I stood up carefully. "Edward," I called to him. He looked over to me, our eyes meeting for a fraction of a second, before he bent down and set Renesmee and Anthony back on the ground. He told them to go back to playing with their friends and they ran off. He straightened up and started walking towards me. He stopped abruptly a few feet away from me. His eyes settled on my bloated stomach and the tender way I cradled it.

"Bella," he said. "What… what is this?" I knew what he was referring to without him even saying it.

"I'm pregnant, Edward," I told him. "I'm six months pregnant."

"I could see that, but who's… Is it…?"

I understood what he was thinking. I could tell he hadn't done the math. If he had, he would have known instantly that there was no way it was anyone else's other than his. "It's ours, Edward. Yours."

"How long have you known?"

"For about three months. I figured it out two weeks after you left. When I started vomiting frequently and missed my third consecutive period, I put the pieces together."

"You're really pregnant?"

I nodded. "Yes, I am."

For a few seconds, Edward simply stood there, shocked. He walked over to me slowly and gently placed his hands over mine. "It's really mine?" he whispered, still uncertain.

"It's really yours." Edward pulled his hands back abruptly. The next second, his arms were around me, hugging me to him tightly, but carefully, as if he was worried that anything he did could upset the child inside me. I raised my head to look at him, confused by the sudden change in his attitude. I opened my mouth to ask him about the strange change in his behavior, but before I could his lips crashed down on mine and he was kissing me passionately. I immediately forgot about my earlier confusion. Instead, I responded to his kiss, winding my arms around his neck and kissing him back. I hadn't realized just how much I missed him until the minute I felt his arms around me again and his lips on mine.

Finally, I had to pull back for air. His lips didn't leave my skin; they slid to my throat. "Oh, Bella, you have no idea how happy I am to hear this," he whispered against my jaw.

"You are?"

Edward pulled his lips away from my throat so I could see the huge smile that stretched across his face. "I'm ecstatic, love. I had imagined what it would be like to finally see you again over and over in my mind, but never like this. I never thought I'd return to find you round with my child. I couldn't be happier."

I smiled. "I'm glad your happy, Edward. It makes me happy."

"Good." He looked over to Renesmee and Anthony. "I'm assuming they both know already?"

"Yes," I said. "Renesmee has actually taken to calling it 'baby.' It's so cute."

"Maybe now Violet and Renesmee will be obsessed with your baby instead of ours," said a high soprano voice. Edward and I turned and found Alice and Jasper standing behind us with baby Mary.

"And ours," said another feminine voice. Rosalie and Emmett came over with baby Paul and stood next to Alice and Jasper. "Welcome home, Edward," Rosalie added.

Edward released me and went to hug Rosalie. "It's good to see you again, Rosalie." He looked down at the baby in her arms. "How's little Paul? He looks bigger than I remember."

"He's fine. He's growing fast. He's going to be as big as me when he's older," Emmett said. "Welcome back. We missed you." He and Edward exchanged a quick hug.

Edward walked over to Alice and Jasper next. He stopped and looked at Mary. "You're also bigger than I remember, little one."

"You've been gone for a while, Edward," Alice giggled. She hugged him. "Welcome home. We were all so worried about you. It's good to know you're alright."

Edward looked at Jasper. "Please tell me your wife isn't serious."

Jasper chuckled and hugged Edward. "Oh, I'm sure she's serious. You were gone for a long time, Edward. Another month and a half and Bella would have been forced to remarry, especially since she has two children with a third on the way."

Edward's arms immediately wrapped around me. "I don't think that will be necessary anymore," he joked. "I won't need to go away for that long ever again."

"Thank goodness," I said. "I missed you so much, Edward."

"I missed you too, love. I'm glad I'm home."

"I'm glad your home too. I'd much rather share this with you." I cradled my stomach in my hands as I spoke. Something fluttered against my stomach and I gasped.

"Bella, is something wrong?" Edward asked, concerned.

"No, everything is fine."

"Then, what…?"

I grabbed Edward's hands and placed them on my stomach. "Feel this." I laid my hands down beside his and waited. I felt the fluttering again and smiled. "Did you feel that, Edward?"

Edward looked up at me in shock. "Was that… did our baby just kick?" I nodded. Edward's expression of shock changed into one of sheer joy and exultation. He grabbed me in another tight hug. "Bella…"

"I know, Edward. I'm happy too."

Edward kissed me. "I love you, Bella Masen. Now and always."

"I love you too, Edward Masen," I said. "Forever."

**THE END**

**Aw, what a happy ending. You all are satisfied with this, right? I don't need to hire bodyguards or something, do I?**

**Anyway, I want to thank all of you for being so loyal to me throughout this whole project. Every single alert, favorite, and review has meant so much to me. I love you all. Thank you for making this so worthwhile to me.**

**xoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212**

**P.S. Think you can spare me one last review?**

**P.P.S. And do you think you can check out the boys version too?**

**Thank you all again. I love you guys.**

**xo, TwilightTeen212**


	31. Author's Note

**Hi guys! So, I don't know how many of you know this, but I've got a couple of other stories out there that I'd love for you all to check out. They are:**

**a. the boys version of this (A Different Kind of World: The Boys)**

**b. Decode**

**c. Never Think**

**Please please please go read them. It would mean so so much to me. **

**I love you all!**

**xoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212**


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